Qatari Diar accused of deleting Barracks emails

Qatari Diar accused of deleting Barracks emails

CPC development group is suing Qatari Diar Real Estate for 81 million pounds, alleging breach of contract.

June 15, 2010 10:22 by Rasha Reslan

A UK High court heard testimony yesterday in the legal battle between Christian Candy, head of CPC development company, and Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment, property company of the emir of Qatar, in the matter of the cancelled Chelsea Barracks project in London, the Financial Times reported today.

Counsel for the CPC development company told the court that a number of emails had come to light since the trial ended, many of which had been deleted, CPC alleges, by John Ward, operating chief of Qatari Diar, QD. CPC told the court that the newly surfaced emails reveal that QD execs knew that the emir was involved in a plan to withdraw the application with CPC, Qatari Diar witnesses offered testimony throughout the hearing that maintained they knew nothing about the withdrawal.

“What it comes to is simply this. All those witnesses lied to your lordship when they gave evidence,” counsel for CPC told the court, adding that “this was an attempt to protect QD and the emir” and to avoid paying money under the contract, the Financial Times reported.

The 81 million GBP lawsuit by CPC alleges that Qatari Diar committed breach of contract, in connection with the QD’s withdrawal from a 3 billion pound residential development project for London’s Chelsea Barracks. Media reports suggested that Prince Charles objected to elements of the proposed architectural design and urged the Qatari prime minister to “reconsider the plans,” the Guardian reported.