LONDON, (Reuters) – Police said on Friday they may launch a criminal investigation into comments made by News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks about the payment of police by journalists.
She had told a parliamentary committee in March 2003 that journalists had “paid police for information in the past”.
At the time, Brooks was editor of News International’s daily Sun tabloid, a position she took after editing its best-selling News of the World weekly.
Last week said she had been speaking in general terms and had no information of specific cases.
The development came as lawyers met in court to discuss ways to manage a potential flood of lawsuits by individuals who believe their voicemail messages were intercepted by News of the World journalists.
Cressida Dick, assistant commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, told parliament’s Home Affairs Committee that police were conducting a “scoping exercise” to establish whether there were any grounds for a criminal probe resulting from Brooks’ 2003 comments.
Police had been criticised for failing to investigate properly repeated allegations of phone-hacking at newspapers, but in January they vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in a fresh probe.
Since then, officers have arrested three senior News of the World journalists, including one yesterday.
