U.K.’S HACKERGATE SCANDAL REARS ITS HEAD AGAIN

Britain’s “hackergate” scandal was revived today (Monday) as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), equivalent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said that it would look into charges that British police failed to investigate thoroughly charges that reporters at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World had hacked into the voicemail of celebrities and politicians. The move, said Britain’s Financial Times, threatens to “embarrass the police, senior government figures and Mr. Murdoch’s News Corp. Police had earlier concluded that only one rogue reporter working for the tabloid was involved in the hacking, along with a private detective. But civil actions filed by several people who allege that they were victims of telephone hacking suggest otherwise. The CPS cited those actions in reopening the case. The new investigation comes at a time when British regulators are considering Murdoch’s efforts to buy the 60.9 per cent of shares in British Sky Broadcasting that his News Corp does not already own.