Blair officials questioned in 'cash-for-honours' inquiry

London, Dec 18 (UNI) After British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Labour officials and Downing Street aides are being questioned in the on-going cash-for-honours investigation on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has advised detectives to look into suspected attempts to hamper the investigation. Some e-mails and documents have yet to be handed over to the police while others have apparently ''disappeared''. Some individuals are suspected of colluding over evidence, according to a report in The Times.

The report claims that as a result of certain disclosures, the investigation has widened to include a suspected cover-up by those around the Prime Minister. Until now, it has centred on the 14 million pounds in secret loans made to the Labour Party by millionaire supporters.

''There is more than a suspicion that evidence has not been handed over, people have colluded and the police are not being helped,'' the paper qupted a prosecution source as saying.

''It has been noted that when the Watergate scandal forced President Nixon to resign, it was the cover-up, not the burglary, that brought him down. What these people should remember is that they are not dealing with a parliamentary inquiry; this is a criminal investigation and anyone failing to co-operate is participating in a criminal offence,'' the source added.

Until now the charges being considered come under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925, which makes it an offence to take money as an inducement or reward for procuring an honour, and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000, which restricts the sources of donations.

But now CPS lawyers after meetings with police, are considering the possibility of charges on perverting the course of justice.

Such charges can be brought if a person tries to interfere with an investigation that might bring criminal proceedings.

According to the CPS, ''It does not matter whether or not the act results in a perversion of the course of justice: the offence is committed when acts tending and intended to pervert a course of justice are done.'' The police inquiry began in March after the House of Lords rejected nominations of four millionaire backers-- Chai Patel, Sir Gulam Noon, Sir David Garrard and Barry Townsley-- whose names were put forward by the Prime Minister for peerages.

A team of eight Scotland Yard-based detectives has interviewed at least 90 people and set a timetable of 'early 200' to submit a final case file to the CPS. Of those interviewed, 35 were from the Labour, 29 from the Conservatives and four from the Liberal Democrats. The remaining 22 were leading civil servants in the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, or non-political company directors.

The three people arrested as part of the inquiry, include Lord Levy, the Prime Minister's personal fundraiser, Des Smith, a government adviser, and Sir Christopher Evans, the biotech tycoon who lent Labour one million pound. They deny any wrongdoing. No one has been charged in the inquiry.

Last week, Mr Blair became the first serving Prime Minister to be interviewed by the police undertaking a criminal inquiry. He was not questioned under caution.

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