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Gunning for freedom
Page 7
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• Road hauliers may be called to give their views on the difficulties of transporting goods abroad in the Trade and Industry Select Committee's investigation into the Iraqi "supergun" affair.
The committee is conducting an inquiry into export controls and will try to establish why the gun was approved for export. The committee has powers to summon Trade and Industry Secretary Nicholas Ridley, and is expected to question the officials responsible for vetting the con tracts two years ago.
The two companies involved in producing the steel pipes for the gun, Sheffield Forgemasters of Rotherham, and Walter Somers of Halesowen, will probably give evidence too.
Paul Ashwell, the Northampton lorry driver at the centre of the case, is still being held in a Greek jail, facing charges of illegally transporting parts of the alleged weapon into Greece — this carries a 20-year maximum sentence. Ashwell's lawyer in Patras says a decision from the judge is expected by the end of his week, and he expects this decision to be "favourable".