MI5 and its staff will not face contempt of court proceedings after the spy agency admitted providing false evidence to three courts, senior judges have ruled. A panel of three judges, including Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr, determined that a contempt case would be too complex for the court to manage, deeming it not in the public interest to proceed.
The ruling suggests that the police possess the necessary "investigatory powers and resources" to handle the matter. Individual MI5 officers could potentially face investigation for misconduct in public office.
The false evidence was presented in a case involving an informant known only as Agent X. MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum acknowledged the court's decision, stating that its judgment "underlines MI5's serious failures in this case."