Day 188 - 15 Nov 95 - Page 57
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2 MS. STEEL: Can I just ask for clarification on something, which
3 is that Mr. Rampton did say on a previous occasion that
4 they had not been able to take any instructions on what had
5 actually happened during the dispute, because there was a
6 legal proceeding going on in France which meant they were
7 not allowed to talk about it. Now, if that is the case,
8 presumably the only thing that -- whatever Mr. Rampton's
9 source is -- can have been said is, "His statement is a
10 pack of lies", in which case -- well, how can Mr. Rampton
11 have any basis, unless he assumes that every single thing
12 in the statement is a lie, in which case he should have put
13 that to the witness.
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15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: For all I know, Mr. Rampton has sufficient
16 instructions in order to put the challenge which he did.
17 If he had not put it, you would have been saying tht his
18 clients accepted the truth of it or -----
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20 MR. MORRIS: They have done.
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22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: But all I am prepared to say is, I myself do
23 not see anything improper in what Mr. Rampton did, on the
24 information which is available to me. So if you have any
25 other complaint, you must direct it at someone else other
26 than me. That is quite a different consideration to the
27 questions of what I make of Mr. Lamti's evidence. That is
28 another matter entirely. Quite frankly, that is what I am
29 interested in.
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31 MR. MORRIS: Yes. Our understanding is that there was no
32 challenge to his evidence and, therefore -----
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34 MR. JUSTICE BELL: There was a challenge to his evidence. What
35 I make of it is entirely a matter for me.
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37 MS. STEEL: I cannot actually remember, but I do not think that
38 I actually remember Mr. Rampton saying that the evidence
39 was -----
40
41 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I mean, I really do not -----
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43 MS. STEEL: I do not know. I just remember a series of
44 allegations just about whether he was involved in theft and
45 secret earnings, and things like that.
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47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: He was asked -- it was suggested to him that
48 what he said in his statement was a tissue of lies, and he
49 said "no".
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51 MR. MORRIS: He said it was all backed up by official documents.
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53 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, you are arguing -----
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55 MR. MORRIS: No, I am just saying -----
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57 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I know, but you are arguing the point.
58
59 Now then, can you remind me? I have pencilled in Rosek and
60 Casey to go Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, perhaps. I have
