Bloomberg News is fighting a British government refusal to disclose the identities of companies that have traded with Iran, reports Roy Greenslade of The Guardian.
Greenslade writes, “It made a freedom of information request in 2009 to the business department to release the names of UK companies that applied to ship ‘controlled goods’ to Iran.
“The request was refused on the grounds that the companies stood to lose access to bank services because banks fear being targeted by the US authorities if any customers have links to Iran.
“Bloomberg, based in New York, has appealed against the government’s decision and is arguing its case with the information commissioner at a two-day tribunal hearing in London.
“Bloomberg’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, said: ‘It’s critical to understand who’s doing business with a pariah state. Such vital information shouldn’t be hidden from public scrutiny.'”
Read more here.
