Brown doubts that MP bribed rival

02 March 1999

Brown doubts that MP bribed rival

AGRICULTURE minister Nick Brown told a court yesterday (Monday) that a newspaper story which alleged an MP had bribed an election rival was implausible.

Mr Brown was giving evidence at the High Court in Edinburgh in the trial of Mohammed Sarwar who is accused of bribing a rival candidate for parliament.

At the trial, Mr Brown said he had met Mr Sarwar on the day that the News of the World alleged Mr Sarwar had paid a £5000 bribe to Badar Islam, an election rival in the Glasgow Govan constituency.

Mr Brown said that Mr Sarwar told him at the meeting that the £5,000 he paid was not a bribe but a loan.

• The Guardian 02/03/99 page 8
  
• The Herald 02/03/99 page 9