Mystery woman took Poulson holiday

POULSON Post Crede. Published spy at the Press, 18ба Clapham High Street, TUG. Printed by plough Ded 7029. Circulation: THE BANKRUPT Yorkshire architect John Poulson treated a 'Miss X' to a holiday in the Middle East a Wakefield court heard yesterday.

But in contrast to the other eight hearings of the celebrated case, Mr Muir Hunter QC, counsel for the trustees, used no names.

He did reveal, however, that daughter of a 'close client of Poulson's.

No names were used either when he referred once more to the 'Dorchester Hotel file'.

Many people, he said, had enjoyed holidays at the hotel, but no detailed examination of this would be undertaken at this stage.

In previous hearings names of Cabinet Ministers, including Reginald Maudling, ex-Home Secretary, Labour Shadow Minister Anthony Crosland, as well as Andrew Cunningham, the northeast union leader, have beer mentioned in connection with Poulson. This has led to angry protests from Labour and Tory leaders and recriminations against Mr Muir Hunter.

Yesterday's allegations of more free holidays abroad came during an examination of Mr Poulson's business activities in the Middle East controlled by his office in Beirut, Lebanon.

Mr Muir Hunter read FROM STEPHEN JOHNS IN WAKEFIELD letters to and from Mr Poulson which mentioned a dollar account at the Chase Manhattan bank separate from his business account in Beirut.

Mr Poulson denied all knowledge of this account.

One letter from Mr Poulson dated May 1967 referred to a trip made by his secretary Miss McLeod and a 'Miss X'.

Poulson was alleged to have told the chief executive of his Beirut operation to make sure they had a good time and to pay for hotel bills and trips around the Middle East including one to Jerusalem.

Other letters dealt with payment into the account of cash and travellers' cheques. This 'other account' vas one fed by surplus currenc! and travellers' cheques for pri vate purposes in the Middle Eas t, said Mr Muir Hunter.

Poulson-who MUIR HUNTER, QC composure and even laughed during the cross examinationwas also questioned over payments of £28,000 from 1967 to 1969 to Mr Coster Nasser, one of the Beirut executives.

Mr Muir Hunter asked Mr Poulson to account for this sum of money, which was £16,000 in excess of Mr Coster Nasser's salary for the two years.

If Mr Nasser used the money in the Chase Manhatan account, why was this not offset against Poulson replied that he did not know. Was there any balance left in the Chase Manhattan account?

"That Board.

Referring to the 'carper file', Mr Muir Hunter asked Poulson if he had authorized payment of £500 to Sinclair & Company of Scarborough for carpets, curtains and furniture covering in Sales' house, for which Poulson is alleged to have given £7,000 towards the purchase price.

Letters from Sinclair's to a Mr Booth, an executive of Poulson's firm, showed that £500 had been paid while Poulson was in West Africa in 1962.

Later, in June 1963, Poulson paid £300 to Mr Sales. This suggested Mr Muir Hunter, was the balance of the cost of the carpeting.

Mr Muir Hunter asked if Pect Mr Poulson satin interhir decoration was undertaken by his firm and he denied any knowledge of the Sinclair transaction.

Mr Poulson opened with a statement on the Press publicity over the hearing. He referred to deplorable publicity over remarks about a 'parliamentary file'. . There had been, he said, no mention of a 'parliamentary file' in the case.

The case has been adjourned until June 25. Mr Muir Hunter said that by then the 1,200 bundles of documents and files will have been indexed and fully examined.