Britain Moving Forward on Prosecution of Nazis

Barely a month after it voted overwhelmingly to allow the prosecution of alleged Nazi war criminals in Britain, Parliament is losing no time setting up the necessary judicial machinery.

Home Secretary David Waddington will announce in the House of Commons shortly that criminal investigations are to commence immediately in 78 cases.

The investigations will start well before war crimes legislation enabling prosecutions to go ahead is in place. The bill to be introduced soon is expected to become law by next summer.

Meanwhile, discussion is centering on whether the investigations should be conducted by the police or by a special unit established along the lines of the Serious Fraud Office.

A new unit would be able to cross the boundaries separating the country’s police forces and would include experts in various fields.

Investigators could start immediately to gather evidence from witnesses, many of whom live in Eastern Europe, where most of the alleged crimes were committed.

Ministers will be meeting on the subject during the next few weeks. The final decision rests with the full Cabinet, which must also decide on the precise shape of the war crimes bill.

There is a controversy over whether to include in it changes in the rules of evidence, as recommended in the report on war criminals in Britain.

The report, which led to the legislation allowing war crimes trials in Britain, was written by Sir Thomas Hetherington, former director of public prosecutions, and William Chalmers, his counterpart in Scotland.

Several members of Parliament who favor the trials object to changing the rules of evidence. Some think it would violate basic freedoms.

One of the most contentious changes would involve the admissibility in court of recorded video evidence in the same way that written depositions are now allowed.

This would enable submissions to be made by defense or prosecution witnesses unable to appear in court.