Maxwell sends boycott bill of $8.37M

Press, 25 August 1986, Page 3

Maxwell sends boycott bill of $8.37M

NZPA-PA London The newspaper publisher, Robert Maxwell, has sent a £2.7 million ($8.37 million) bill to the 32 countries who boycotted the Commonwealth Games. He demanded the cash to pay suppliers of goods and services ito the thirteenth Games, held in Edinburgh in July.

In his letter to heads of Government, he said: "My purpose in writing... is to seek an ex-gratia payment by your Government to the Games Company.”

This would meet losses which “unfairly” fell on people who "bear no responsibility for the policies of the Government of the United Kingdom in London,” said Mr Maxwell.

“They have done nothing to deserve the loss of their money, which in many cases may mean bankruptcy and loss of

jobs for innocent people.”

The countries withdrew from the Games because of Britain’s refusal, at that time, to back economic sanctions against South Africa.

Mr Maxwell, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Company, demanded an average of £85,000 ($263,638) a country.

Kenya faced the biggest bill— £277,000 ($859,150) — while India was asked for £245,000 ($759,898). Other big demands went to Nigeria ($607,187) Papua New Guinea ($564,496) and Jamaica ($393,906). The Virgin Islands escaped the lightest with just $27,915. Mr Maxwell said the figures took into account the size of the team the countries said they would field.

He told Government heads that the boycott hit

sponsorship and other fund-raising, leaving the beleaguered company without the cash to pay suppliers. “Because of the boycott, therefore, and some other factors, the Games Company faces a total deficit of about SUS 4 million ($8.27 million),” he wrote. “We still have some hopes of raising a part of this large sum from a variety of sources. “But without help from Governments there is no prospect of meeting more than a fraction of the total deficit.”

A spokesman for Mr Maxwell, owner of Mirror Group Newspapers, refused to disclose the next step if the boycott countries did not pay. “We obviously have plans. I feel we have not yet heard the last from the Government,” said Ms Janet Hewlett-Davies.