Day 080 - 30 Jan 95 - Page 54


     
     1        his Lordship has just said I accept very clearly.  I have a
     2        girl in my dock office called Simone and she will put these
     3        documents together in minutes.  I will certainly hand back
     4        to Mr. Rampton another set with them all in order and what
     5        relates to what and now it balances with a summary, but
     6        I cannot do it here.  There were only 83 tonnes delivered.
     7
     8   Q.   When you gave the figure of 83 tonnes.  Was that based on
     9        adding up what was on the invoices that were in tab 3?
    10        A.  No, it was what, my Lord.  I told my dock office how
    11        much Brazilian beef did we get and they told me 83 tonnes.
    12
    13   Q.   When the dock office stamped the invoices -- well, at what
    14        stage do they stamp them?  Is that when they come and make
    15        the checks that you have used the beef as you know in the
    16        way that you said you were going to use it?
    17        A.  No.  What you have here is a series of stamps.  You get
    18        a stamp when it arrives.  You get a stamp which authorises
    19        the payment and a VAT number.  You get a stamp from the
    20        Treasury Office when they pay it.  A business the size of
    21        McKey works through departments.
    22
    23   Q.   But which is the dock office stamp?
    24        A.  It says ----
    25
    26   Q.   What is that stamp for?
    27        A.  It is to say that the meat has arrived.
    28
    29   Q.   So if we were looking at page 15 ----
    30        A.  No, wait a moment.  I am sorry.  The dock office stamp
    31        really signifies that the meat has arrived at the dock and
    32        gone through the dock.  When I say "dock" I mean the
    33        loading dock.  I do not mean a shipping dock.
    34
    35   MR. MORRIS:  At McKey's?
    36        A.  Yes, at McKey's.  The meat has arrived at McKey's and
    37        they authorise it to go up to accounts to be paid for.
    38
    39   MS. STEEL:  So if you have an invoice dated 8th December 1983,
    40        how does it get a dock office stamp of 24th January 1984?
    41
    42   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, Ms. Steel might understand that if she
    43        looked at the bottom of the page, the last box.
    44
    45   MS. STEEL:  Which box are you referring to, please?
    46
    47   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I have to say I do not think we are going to
    48        get much further on this.  Can you offer any further help
    49        on this Mr. Walker?
    50        A.  I can offer, sir, what I said I will get ----- 
    51 
    52   Q.   But yourself from the witness box at this moment in time? 
    53        A.  No.
    54
    55   MS. STEEL:  It would not be normal to send out an invoice before
    56        you got the meat?
    57        A.  No.
    58
    59   Q.   No?  Right.
    60

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