Pamella And The Libyan Connection
Daily Express — Saturday 18 March 1989
This story, investigated and researched by Christopher Long (Nov 1988-March 1989), was sold to the Daily Express who appointed its own investigative team to follow up the leads and write the finished story. The story first appeared in The Evening Standard (by agreement with both papers). The 'Pamella Affair' was regarded as a major scandal and threatened to damage the credibility of the Britain's Conservative government. It also revealed that Britain's intelligence and security services were still failing to liaise and co-operate in order to protect national security and warn the government of impending embarrassment.
By Christopher Long
See also Pamella Bordes
MPs demand security probe over Gadaffi link
PAMELLA AND THE LIBYAN CONNECTION
By Robert Gibson and Sue Johnson in London and Ian McKerron in Madras
MPs last night demanded a security inquiry into reports that Pamella Bordes had links with Libya's Colonel Gadaffi.
The startling revelations gave a sinister twist to the alleged Commons 'call girl' affair.
Fears of a major scandal were growing as it was claimed Pamella socialised with Ahmed Gaddaf Al-Dam, a top ranking arms buyer in the Libyan security service and a cousin of Gadaffi.
MPs want to know whether she was meeting Al-Dam during the time she worked as a research assistant in the House of Commons, a prime target for a terrorist attack.
Mrs Thatcher was urged to mount an immediate investigation.
Labour backbencher Ted Leadbitter, who exposed traitor Anthony Blunt, said "The persistent reports linking Pamella Bordes with people in prominent positions - and more recently actually touching upon areas of possible security risk - suggest, if true, the urgency of the Government undertaking the fullest possible pressing and penetrating inquiry."
His colleague, Dale Campbell-Savours, who has already tabled Commons questions, said: "I am told there will be further revelations in the case over the weekend. I will wait until I have read them and then make my own enquiries. I will do my homework and then put down any questions I feel need answering."
"I thing we are in for a long hard weekend."
Pamella, 27, who dated a Government Minister, newspaper editors and MPs, was said by a close friend to have made regular trips to Paris where she met Al-Dam.
Wanted
The Indian-born beauty is also said to have made a number of visits by private jet to the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Al-Dam, who masterminds the purchase of arms for his cousin, is on the wanted list of at least half a dozen secret service agencies.
Reports of Pamella's trips to see him in Paris were given to a senior official at the Foreign Office in early January.
By then she was working as a research assistant for Tory MP David Shaw.
Yesterday the F.O. official said of the Libyan: "We knew of him from old, but this was the first we had heard of his name linked with Miss Bordes. He had been linked with plenty of women before then."
He agreed the tip-off should have been passed on so that security chiefs could make their own investigations as it was known that by then Pamella had a Commons security pass.
He added: "I don't know what happened to our information." Special Branch who had been monitoring Al-Dam's movements across Europe say they did not know of any relationship with Pamella.
One of her closest woman friends spoke exclusively to the Daily Express last night.
She said: "Although Pamella was never associated directly with Gadaffi himself she was quite heavily involved with his associates and particularly his relatives."
She revealed the alleged high-class call-girl frequently travelled from London to Paris last year for secret rendezvous with Al-Dam.
Pamella shared many of her secrets with her during heart-to-heart conversations at a London health club.
As well as her relationship with Gadaffi's cousin, Pamella also boasted of a friendship with the wealthy Emir of Qatar.
Parties
Although her woman friend agreed Pamella tended to exaggerate her sexual conquest of the rich and famous, she is convinced her relationship with Al-Dam is genuine.
Pamella is believed to have been introduced to him by another arms dealer she met while he was working as a waiter in Paris after his release from the top-security jail on the Isle of Wight.
The woman also confirmed Pamella's claim to know millionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.
She met him in America after her failed attempt to win the Miss Universe contest in Peru.
"But I don't think there was any relationship involved with him," she said. "She was just one of the girls that was invited to parties on his yacht."
Later Pamella moved to France where she met and married Parisian businessman Henri Bordes but the couple broke up.
Her friend, who has known her for seven years, went on: "It has always been her burning ambition to get involved with men of wealth and power.
"She would not deny she is a high-class call-girl. She is what I would describe as a starry-eyed, ambitious and beautiful young woman who sees nothing wrong in using her sexuality to get what she wants from men."
Another friend, alarmed to hear of Pamella's association with one of Gadaffi's right-hand men, claims he tipped off the Foreign Office which was 'extremely interested' in the affair.
Staggered
He said: "It seems inconceivable the British, French and American intelligence network were not actively involved in observing Pamella's movements between London and Paris."
London lawyer Carlo Colombotti, who shared his million pound Belgrave house with Pamella on a platonic basis last year, was 'staggered' to hear the revelations.
"I find them unbelievable. I have no knowledge of any of this," he said.
Pamella told friends she came from Jaipur, 250 miles west of Delhi, though was vague about her family background.
Her father is said to have been an Indian army officer killed in the war with Pakistan.
Her mother could not control the headstrong Pamella Choudhurh Singh and sent her to an expensive boarding school.
She was so headstrong she was expelled. And her wild behaviour led to a rift with her family.
After a week when her friendships with senior newspaper figures, like Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil and top MPs, have been in the headlines, the worry now for the Government is what new names will be revealed.
Previously she was a guest of Sports Minister Colin Moynihan at the Tory Winter Ball.
But now another Cabinet colleague has been mentioned as part of her social set.
Captions to original photographs:
Pamella: Reports of trips to Paris and Tripoli
Ahmed Al-Dam: Weapons supplier to his cousin, Libya's Colonel Gadaffi
See also Pamella Bordes
© (1989) Christopher Long. Copyright, Syndication & All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
The text and graphical content of this and linked documents are the copyright of their author and or creator and site designer, Christopher Long, unless otherwise stated. No publication, reproduction or exploitation of this material may be made in any form prior to clear written agreement of terms with the author or his agents.
