Payout for ex-Guantanamo inmates

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Former detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba are set to be paid millions of pounds in compensation by the government, the BBC understands.

Six former prisoners, including Binyam Mohamed, had sought the compensation via the High Court.

They had alleged that British security forces were complicit in their torture before they arrived at Guantanamo.

The Cabinet Office has said a ministerial statement will be made on Tuesday.

A lawyer connected to the Guantanamo detainees told the BBC that the government has settled a case, brought by a number of men who alleged that the British security services were complicit in their torture.

Bisher al-Rawi, Jamil el Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed, Martin Mubanga had all begun cases against the government.

In July, the High Court ordered the release of some of the 500,000 documents relating to the case.

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said that around 100 intelligence officers had been working around the clock preparing legal cases.

He said the government wanted to avoid the cost of the court case, and that the terms of the settlement would remain confidential – something wanted by both the men and the government.

He added that the Intelligence and Security Committee and the National Audit Office would be briefed about the payments.

He said the government would now be able to move forward with plans for an inquiry, led by Sir Peter Gibson, into claims that UK security services were complicit in the torture of terror suspects.

The Cabinet Office said: “The prime minister set out clearly in his statement to the House (of Commons) on July 6 that we need to deal with the totally unsatisfactory situation where for ‘the past few years, the reputation of our security services has been overshadowed by allegations about their involvement in the treatment of detainees held by other countries’.”

The UK security services have always denied any claims that they have used or condoned the use of torture.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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