The top-secret leak that Britain had conditionally allowed China’s Huawei Technologies to develop its 5G network, which brought down the defense minister, does not amount to a criminal offense, police said on Saturday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday sacked Gavin Williamson as British secretary of state for defense over the leak last month of the bitterly disputed decision made at the April 23 meeting of the British National Security Council (NSC).
Following the police announcement, Williamson, who has strenuously protested his innocence, said he was the victim of a “witch hunt.”
He hit out at May and British Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, who carried out the government’s internal leak inquiry that led to his sacking.
“With the Metropolitan Police not willing to do a criminal investigation it is clear a proper, full and impartial investigation needs to be conducted on this shabby and discredited witch-hunt that has been so badly mishandled by both the prime minister and Mark Sedwill,” Williamson said in a statement.
NSC discussions are only attended by senior ministers and security officials who first sign the Official Secrets Act that commits them to keep information private or risk prosecution.
Some senior opposition figures called for a police investigation.
Yet in a statement on Saturday, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of Specialist Operations at London’s Metropolitan Police, said a probe would be inappropriate.
“I am satisfied that what was disclosed did not contain information that would breach the Official Secrets Act,” said Basu, whose section is responsible for investigating alleged criminal breaches of the act.
“No crime has been committed and this is not a matter for the police,” Basu said. “It would be inappropriate to carry out a police investigation in these circumstances.”
The leak, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph, said that May had cleared Huawei to be involved in “non-core” elements of the 5G network, such as antennae.
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