Day 186 - 10 Nov 95 - Page 04
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2 MR. MORRIS: I do not know. He knows that Chantal
3 Villeneuve-Gallaiz is not coming, so he may believe that he
4 may be free on Monday night or Tuesday lunchtime to go
5 back. I do not think he has lost a week's wages, so he may
6 be keen to get back as soon as possible.
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. What is the position then,
9 Mr. Rampton?
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11 MR. RAMPTON: The position is this, my Lord, that we have, as we
12 said we would, we have had to do it in French because, as
13 it happens, the people we use in France do not speak any
14 English; I think I have already told your Lordship that ---
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16 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
17
18 MR. RAMPTON: -- we have sent off an urgent letter by fax and
19 post to the French people, to try to get instructions on
20 the additional matters -- I will not even call them
21 allegations -- which Monsieur Lamti raises. I know your
22 Lordship has seen them. Whether, in fact, in the end they
23 matter very much, it may be rather doubtful. I cannot
24 possibly say that I will have instructions by Monday
25 morning. It just is not within my power, and I just cannot
26 say.
27
28 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. I was going to say that I was quite
29 content if we started on Tuesday, but if Mr. Lamti is
30 coming on Monday, it seems to me it is probably best to
31 start him then and see how we go. You may know more about
32 your position on Monday morning.
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34 MR. RAMPTON: I hope that I will, yes.
35
36 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I do not know what the extra information is.
37 Do not bother about that at the moment, because I want to
38 get on with meaning. We must finish the meaning argument
39 today, and I do not want to delay it.
40
41 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I will only say this in addition: If I
42 am in no position to deal with the additional matters on
43 Monday morning, I am in no position to deal with them. I
44 have not had the five days notice. I do not complain about
45 that, but that is a fact of life. I do not have
46 instructions in time, I do not have -----
47
48 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What I suggest at the moment is that we start
49 Monsieur Lamti on Monday and have his evidence-in-chief,
50 and then take stock at the end of his evidence-in-chief.
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52 MR. RAMPTON: At the moment, on his written statement, which,
53 your Lordship, should constitute his evidence-in-chief in
54 its entirety, cross-examination will be pretty short, too.
55 So I doubt he will go beyond Monday lunchtime.
56
57 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Let us leave it like that for the moment.
58 I do not want to get bogged down at the moment in
59 contemplating what, if any, extra evidence he is expected
60 to give.
