British MPs said on Tuesday that Rupert Murdoch 'not able' to lead a company of international size as his, News Corporation, and must be held accountable for illegal wiretapping scandal of the former tabloid News of the World. The statements were made in a report of a multiparty parliamentary committee, approved by six votes to four - all contrary were given by members of the Conservative Party, the same as the prime minister David Cameron.
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In the report, the MPs accused Murdoch and his son, James, former chairman of News International, the European arm of News Corp., to oversee a corporate culture that sought to "hide" illegal practices. The legislators did not accept the justification given by Murdoch that he did not know the scope of the staples of the News of the World.
"If this is true, he closed his eyes and showed a" willful blindness "in relation to what was happening in his company," it said. "We conclude that it is unable to exercise leadership in a company of international size."
With this statement, the report suggests that News Corp. is unable to fully control the satellite television operator British Sky Broadcasting. Murdoch, who already has 39% of the company had to abandon an offer to buy the remaining shares over the scandal of the News of the World.
Ofcom, the body that regulates the press in the UK, said he is reading the report carefully. "We must ensure that the person is given a license to broadcast and is still capable of that," it said in a statement.
One of the members of the committee, the conservative Louise Mensch said that there was disagreement about the harsh tone of the criticism against Murdoch. The four committee voted against the Conservatives, while Labour and Liberal Democrat voted in favor. The committee comprises 11 members, but the president, a conservative, did not vote, following the rules.
Conservative Philip David, also a member of the committee, said MPs had "absolutely no evidence" to conclude "totally ridiculous" about the lack of competence in the leadership of Murdoch's News Corporation. But the labor Tom Watson said, "more than any living person," Murdoch is guilty of the offense and the report had to make that clear.
All committee members were unanimous on the part of the text that James Murdoch criticized for his role in the scandal. "As head of a journalistic enterprise, it is striking that he did not seek more information" over the clips, which began in 2001, the report said.
The MPs also criticized three former executives of the News International - the former executive chairman Les Hinton, the former responsible for the legal department of Tom Crone and former editor of News of the World Colin Myler - for having given false evidence during testimony on the staples .
In a statement, News Corp. said it is reviewing the report to answer it soon. "The company admits the existence of irregular practices in the News of the World and apologizes to all those who have had their privacy invaded," it said.