BRIBERY CHARGES

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 January 1944, Page 6

BRIBERY CHARGES

CHIEF ACCUSED’S EVIDENCE

(N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent)

(Rec. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, January 21. The trial of Rex Morley Hoyes, formerly of Auckland, managingdirector of Cunliffe Owen Aircraft, Ltd., who is accused of making gifts of £lOOO and £2OO to Harold Lavers Armstrong, Director-General of Aircraft Production, and Henry George Bloss, Deputy-Director-General, was continued to-day. Hoyes, continuing his evidence, was questioned by the SolicitorGeneral (Sir Maxwell Fyl'e), prosecuting for the Crown. Hoyes repeated that the loan to Armstrong was purely personal. He added that Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft, Ltd., was anxious to build a complete aeroplane.

Sir Patrick Hastings (defending): Did it ever enter your head that Armstrong could or would exercise any influence to get you a contract which you otherwise would not have got?

Hoyes: It did not. Sir Maxwell Fyfe suggested that when Hoyes advanced £l,OOO to Armstrong he chose to take the money from Cunliffe-Owen instead of his private account. Hoyes: Not at all. Sir Maxwell Fyfe: No attempt was made to repay that money up to the time police inquiries started.

Hoyes: It was to come back at my convenience.

Sir Maxwell Fyfe: What I am suggesting is that until this matter cam° to light you had not the slightest intention of repaying this amount ' Hoyes: That is not true.

Sir Justice Stable asked Hoyes why he borrowed the money from his company instead of his bank. Hoyes: It did not cause any embarrassment.) Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen said he found Hoyes to be an honest, capable, reliable and very hard-working businessman. He had made personal loans* to Hoyes, who had always returned them.

Armstrong declared the money he received from Hoyes was a personal loan. I The hearing was adjourned.