NEWS “without comment”

Former Met chief linked to court case over bugging of Ritz owner Sir Frederick Barclay

The Sunday Times

Jon Ungoed-Thomas

Sunday June 21 2020

Yesterday’s Sunday Times has reported that a firm of private investigators headed by the former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Stevens faces an enquiry by the privacy watchdog over a bugging operation at the Ritz hotel in London.

The billionaire Sir Frederick Barclay was secretly recorded at the hotel, which members of his family owned until three months ago, after a bug was planted by his nephew Alistair.

It has been alleged in the High Court that the operation breached data-protection laws and other people may also have been unwittingly recorded.

Quest Global, part of a London investigative group headed by Stevens, invoiced for 405 hours to listen to and transcribe the recordings, according to evidence in a court judgment.

It is also alleged it provided a wi-fi bug.

Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/former-met-chief-lord-stevens-linked-to-court-case-over-bugging-of-ritz-owner-sir-frederick-barclay-gg5bxkm69