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A30 WORLD NEWS
Dialuna 23 Mei 2022

Key report into Johnson’s ‘partygate’ to be published

did not occur to me” that the While the Gray report is
brief gathering was a party closely watched, the civil ser-
— a claim that drew derision vant’s scope for censuring
from many. Johnson is limited — and it’s
A investigation by London’s unclear the extent to which
Metropolitan Police that its publication will help re-
concluded last week said in store public trust in the Con-
total, the force issued 126 servative government.
fixed-penalty fines to 83 On Friday, fresh questions
people for eight gatherings at were raised after British me-
Downing Street and nearby dia reported that Johnson and
government buildings. About Gray had met several weeks
two dozen of those people re- ago — though what exactly
ceived more than one fine. the two discussed is unclear.
Police did not identify those Defending Johnson on Sun-
who were fined, but Treasury day, Education Secretary
chief Rishi Sunak, as well as Nadhim Zahawi said Gray is
Johnson’s wife, Carrie, have conducting an “independent”
said they also paid fines for investigation.
attending Johnson’s birthday “The prime minister has
party. made it very clear that he has
Government officials have never intervened or will seek
said the Gray report will be to intervene or interfere with
fully published issued as soon the investigation,” Zahawi
as possible once the police told the BBC.
probe is complete. Opposition parties urged
By SYLVIA HUI is widely expected to release Ukraine diverted public and A partial version of the Gray Johnson to explain why he
Associated Press her findings within days. political attention. report was published in Janu- held a “secret meeting” with
LONDON (AP) — A high- Claims that Johnson and his Gray’s full report could re- ary after police requested her Gray.
ly-anticipated report into staff enjoyed illegal office new pressure on Johnson if to leave out details to avoid “Public confidence in the
the British government’s parties while millions in the it heavily criticizes him and prejudicing police inquiries. process is already deplet-
“partygate” coronavirus country stuck to strict CO- senior officials. The partial report did not ed, and people deserve to
lockdown scandal that VID-19 restrictions in 2020 Johnson has apologized af- name individuals, but it did know the truth,” said Angela
could determine Prime and 2021 have dogged John- ter admitting he was fined criticize “failures of leader- Rayner, deputy leader of the
Minister Boris Johnson’s son’s Conservative govern- 50 pounds ($66) for attend- ship and judgment” that al- opposition Labour Party.
political fortunes is set to ment since they first surfaced ing a surprise birthday party lowed the parties to take Johnson also faces a separate
be published this week, af- late last year. Critics, includ- thrown for him in 10 Down- place. inquiry about whether he
ter months of delay. ing some within Johnson’s ing St. in June 2020. That About 30 people, including knowingly lied to Parliament
own ranks, have called for made him the first British Johnson, have been con- when he told lawmakers ear-
Senior civil servant Sue Gray, him to resign. prime minister ever found to tacted by the Cabinet Of- lier that no laws had been
who has been tasked with But while “partygate” threat- have broken the law while in fice over the past few days to broken at Downing Street.
investigating multiple lock- ened to topple Johnson’s office. warn them of the contents of Ministers found to have done
down-flouting gatherings at leadership earlier this year, he However, Johnson insisted the report ahead of its publi- so are generally expected to
Johnson’s official residence has clung on to power partly that he did not knowingly cation. resign.q
and other government sites, because Russia’s invasion of break the rules, saying “it
Iran Revolutionary Guard colonel is shot dead in Tehran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A Col. Hassan Sayyad structure of the Guard’s
senior member of Iran’s Khodaei five times in his overseas operations.
powerful Revolutionary unarmored Iranian-made Those operations have come
Guard was killed outside Kia Pride, state media under repeated Israeli air
his home in Tehran on said, right off a highly attack in Syria. An Israeli
Sunday by unidentified secure street home to strike near the Syrian capital
gunmen on a motorbike, Iran’s parliament. of Damascus killed two
state TV reported. Guard members in March,
Although the Guard gave Reports identified Khodaei prompting Iran to retaliate by
only scant detail about only as a “defender of the firing a missile barrage into
the attack that occurred shrine,” a reference to northern Iraq.
in broad daylight in the Iranians who fight against the Security forces were pursuing
heart of Iran’s capital, the extremist Islamic State group the suspected assailants,
group blamed the killing in Syria and Iraq within the state TV reported, without
on “global arrogance,” Guard’s elite Quds force that offering further details or
typically code for the oversees foreign operations. giving a motive for the killing.
United States and Israel. Little information was Around the same time,
That accusation, as publicly available about state-run media said the
well as the style of the Khodaei, as Quds officers Revolutionary Guard’s
brazen killing, raised the tend to be shadowy figures security forces had uncovered
possibility of a link with carrying out secretive and arrested members
other motorbike slayings military missions supporting of an Israeli intelligence
previously attributed to Hezbollah, the Lebanese network operating in the
Israel in Iran, such as those militant group, and other country, without elaborating
targeting the country’s militias in Syria, Iraq and on whether they had any
nuclear scientists. There elsewhere. connection to Khodaei’s
was no immediate claim The Tehran prosecutor slaying.q
of responsibility for the arrived at the crime scene
attack. within hours of the killing police urgently arrest the speed suggested Khodaei’s
The two assailants shot to investigate and demanded perpetrators. The probe’s prominence in the murky