CBI silent after documents reveal inconsistencies in Cridland submission to Electoral Commission
By a Newsnet reporter (29 May 2014)
CBI Director General John Cridland may have given inaccurate information to the Electoral Commission when he sought to have his organisation's registration as an official No campaign backer nullified.
New documents obtained by Newsnet Scotland under Freedom of Information legislation reveal that Mr Cridland told the commission that the CBI had not received legal advice prior to the signing of the registration application form.
It has also emerged that Mr Cridland, who initially claimed to have learned of his company’s registration on April 18th when it was reported by the BBC, told the commission he had learned about the registration on social media.
In a submission to the commission, on April 24th, Cridland wrote: "In good faith, and following discussions with the Electoral Commission, a junior employee of the CBI completed an application form. This required him to indicate whether the application supported a Yes or No position. This was done without ensuring executive approval, and without receiving legal advice."
However the claim that the CBI had received no legal advice prior to the registration application being submitted contradicts comments made by Cridland himself days after the CBI announced it had registered as a formal backer of No.
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