Peter Hain calls for inquiry into MoD’s alleged role in Saudi bribes scandal

Lord Hain has written to the National Audit Office to call for a ‘timely, targeted’ investigation after revelations from recently ended criminal trial. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Alleged Ministry of Defence complicity in the “national scandal” of bribery on arms deals in Saudi Arabia must be investigated by government auditors, a senior Labour politician has said.

Peter Hain, the antiapartheid campaigner and peer, said in a letter to the National Audit Office (NAO) that a “timely, targeted” investigation was now necessary after the conclusion of a major criminal trial.