Soutter's Smears

The following is an extract from the minutes of a meeting of Veritas Regional Organisers held at the home of Mr David Soutter in North Wales, which meeting was chaired by Mr Soutter, who also approved these minutes:

A question was raised regarding reimbursement of expenses. David Soutter replied that details of expenses incurred should be retained and would be eventually reimbursed. Martin Cole pointed out that at present there were considerable demands compared to income and bearing in mind the proximity of a General Election it would be prudent for all incurring expenses to only do so in the expection of possible non reimbursement.

Earlier today in response to an accusation from Mr Soutter that I had claimed reimbursement for the expenses I incurred in setting up and aiding the party and other wild claims I stated the following:-

"I was never dismissed as Robert's Chief of Staff but suspended for a period of a week to ten days when communications were particularly difficult. I was offered reinstatement on 28th February; which offer I refused.

I never submitted an expense account to the party as may be verified by John de Roeck. I bore all the expenses of my time in the UK when I dedicated myself for almost two whole months entirely to the affairs of the party. Earlier I had made frequent visits from Switzerland to London, bearing my own travel and hotel costs to get the party up and running."

Incredibly Mr Soutter has indeed sought clarification of these facts with the Party Treasurer and in so doing has made the following extraordinary statement about myself:-

"He says that everything that he did was done without asking for the money to be refunded.

I heard something different and as he is the person who has circulated unfounded stories and comment in his emails about me I would like to get at the truth of the matter. He said that you will support his statement, I am asing you to confirm his position or at least tell me what the truth of the matter is."

(The unfounded stories I presume Mr Soutter refers to here, were the directly pasted press reports that I posted on this blog, without comment as may be read from the archives)

Apart from the obvious questions such an inquiry raises about the judgement of David Soutter and his deeply suspicious nature, this raises the issue of who, other than the Party Treasurer would be in a position to know whether expenses had been claimed by myself AND what position such a person must have held in the party for Mr Soutter to lend it any credence (particularly bearing in mind my own minuted statement above).

I did indeed keep records of my expenditures and retain the receipts to this day. If another party submitted a false claim in my name then their forged nature will be quickly verifiable.

I will await John de Roeck's reply to Mr Soutter's inquiry with interest; meantime perhaps Mr Soutter would like to let the broader party membership know who exactly the individual was who lied about my having entered an expense account claim. Both matters will be then posted on this blog as and when they become known.