Costs associated with legal action opposing Chagossian return to The Chagos Islands

Stefan Donnelly made this Freedom of Information request to Foreign and Commonwealth Office

This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Foreign and Commonwealth Office,

Since 1999, what has been the total cost to the Government of legal
action opposing Chagossians' right to return to the Chagos Islands and defending the legality of Orders-in-Council issued in 2004 which prevented unauthorised entry into the British Indian Ocean Territory?

Please include a breakdown of all costs associated with different
legal actions, defences and appeals including (but not limited to)
the High Court case in the year 2000, the 2006 High Court case
which overturned the 2004 Orders-in-Council, the 2008 Court of
Appeal case which upheld the 2006 High Court decision, the 2008
appeal to the House of Lords Judaical Committee and the European
Court of Human Rights case which concluded in 2012 in favour of the
UK Government.

To be clear, please also include the legal aid costs associated with the above cases and any other legal action the Government has taken on these issues.

Please adjust these figures for inflation.

Yours faithfully,

Stefan Donnelly

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Dear Mr Donnelly,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. It has been assigned a unique reference number (above) and has been passed to the relevant section within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to deal with. They will be in touch with you should your request need clarification.

We received your request on 04 February 2015 and will aim to respond within 20 working days, following the date of receipt.

Yours sincerely

FOI and DPA Team
FCO

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Dear Mr Donnelly,

 

Please find attached a letter sent on behalf of the FCO.

 

Yours

Lowri Mai Griffiths

 

Lowri Mai Griffiths | Head of Maritime Policy Unit | Overseas Territories
and Maritime Team | Room WH.MZ.17 | Legal Directorate | Foreign and
Commonwealth Office | London SW1A 2AH |

Email: [1][email address].uk |  (+44 (0)20 7008 3054 |  ( ECHO 808
3054 | Fax: +44 (0)020 7008 1584|  [2]www.fco.gov.uk 

It is the responsibility of the lead policy department to register legal
advice.  In line with FCO guidance, Legal Directorate will not register
this email chain or any attachments.

 

This email and any attachments may contain legally privileged material and
should not be forwarded or disclosed to other recipients outside the FCO
without Legal Directorate consent.

 

 

 

 

 

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Donnelly,

 

Please find attached a letter sent on behalf of the FCO.

 

Yours

Lowri Mai Griffiths

 

Lowri Mai Griffiths | Head of Maritime Policy Unit | Overseas Territories
and Maritime Team | Room WH.MZ.17 | Legal Directorate | Foreign and
Commonwealth Office | London SW1A 2AH |

Email: [1][email address].uk |  (+44 (0)20 7008 3054 |  ( ECHO 808
3054 | Fax: +44 (0)020 7008 1584|  [2]www.fco.gov.uk 

It is the responsibility of the lead policy department to register legal
advice.  In line with FCO guidance, Legal Directorate will not register
this email chain or any attachments.

 

This email and any attachments may contain legally privileged material and
should not be forwarded or disclosed to other recipients outside the FCO
without Legal Directorate consent.

 

 

 

 

 

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Stefan Donnelly

Dear Foreign and Commonwealth Office,

Thank you the update. Could you clarify what aspect of my request brings legal professional privilege into the question?

If it would speed up the process, I would rather receive one total figure from 1999 to the present day, not broken down by individual action, in the interim whilst the public interest is considered for the detailed figure.

If it would not be possible to provide this unbroken down figure of the total legal costs since 1999, please explain why this is the case.

Yours faithfully,

Stefan Donnelly

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Donnelly

 

Please find an update about your FOI request 0177-15.

 

Kind regards

 

FOI and DPA Team

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

 

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Donnelly

 

Please find attached an update on your FOI request 0117-15.

 

Regards

 

Stephen Taylor

Legal Directorate

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

 

 

 

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Donnelly

 

Please find attached response to your FOI enquiry.

 

Yours sincerely

Steve Taylor

Stephen Taylor | Deputy Head Maritime Policy Unit | Foreign and
Commonwealth Office | King Charles Street | London SW1A 2AH |
Email: [1][email address]|Telephone: +44 (0)20 7008 2638 | FTN:
8008 2638 | www.gov.uk/fco

 

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Stephen Taylor (Sensitive) would like to recall the message, "Your FOI request 0117-15 re BIOT legal costs ".

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Donnelly

 

Please find attached response to your FOI request.

Legal Directorate | Foreign and Commonwealth Office | King Charles Street
| London SW1A 2AH | www.gov.uk/fco

 

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References

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