July 5, 2007 (LPAC)--An investigative spotlight is being put on a British senior servant who helped block the Serious Fraud Office's investigation of alleged bribery of Saudi officials by BAE Systems' massive Al Yamamah arms deal.

Sir Richard Mottram, who is currently the Cabinet's Permanent Secretary for Intelligence, Security and Resilience, according to today's Daily Telegraph , was involved in closing down the investigation. In fact Richard Wardle of the SFO, told the Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee last week that he stopped his investigations after being shown memos on the security threat from the prime minister offices, the attorney general and "papers from Sir Richard Mottram ".

The problem with Mottram's involvement is that fact that he held positions in Ministry of Defence in the past where he was very knowledgeable of negotiating the Al Yamamah project. His career as a mandarin in Her Majesty's service began with a posting in the MoD. In 1985 he was private secretary to then Defense Minister Michael Hezeltine, in which capacity he would keep the latter briefed on progress of the negotiatng the Al Yamamah deal. In this capacity he, according to the Telegraph wrote a memo to Charles Powell, now Lord Powell, who at the time was private secretary to then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher updating them on the progress of the negotiations.

In his current capacity he "coordinated" advice from the heads of intelligence agaencies on the security risk posed by continuation of the SFO investigation, according to a Cabinet office spokesman.

According to his biography posted on the website of the Cabinet Office, his responsibility as permanent Secretary Intelligence, Security and Resilience includes serving as the "Accounting Officer for the Single Intelligence Account, from which the three Security and Intelligence agencies are funded. He also acts as Deputy chair of the Civil Contingencies Committee,...acts as the Geoverment's senior crisis Manager.

He is also chairman of the key "Joint Intelligence Committee" where the heads of the governments various intelligence organization site. Among those the JIC briefs, is the Queen herself, in her capacity as Head of State.