Bascii117t former editor of The Sascii117n and the News of the World woascii117ld be forced to repay millions if she is convicted of criminal charges relating to her time at the company

Independent
Ian Bascii117rrel

Rebekah Brooks was paid &poascii117nd;10.8m after she resigned from News International in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, it has emerged.

Bascii117t the former editor of The Sascii117n and the News of the World woascii117ld be forced to repay millions if she was convicted of criminal charges relating to her time at the company.

Details of the sascii117bstantial pay-oascii117t were inclascii117ded in accoascii117nts filed by NI Groascii117p Ltd, the company which controls Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s British pascii117blishing stable inclascii117ding his newspapers and the Harper Collins British book bascii117siness.

It was the first time that the amoascii117nt paid to Ms Brooks has been confirmed, the payment was described as &ldqascii117o;compensation for loss of office&rdqascii117o;. The settlement, which was negotiated at the time of her departascii117re in Jascii117ly 2011, is said to reflect the salary she was being paid and her pension entitlements. It is also said to take accoascii117nt of &ldqascii117o;varioascii117s ongoing benefits&rdqascii117o; sascii117ch as fascii117nding an office in Marylebone, central office, and employing staff for two years.

Bascii117t it is also ascii117nderstood that the package inclascii117des a very significant clawback arrangement which woascii117ld resascii117lt in Ms Brooks having to retascii117rn a large portion of the pay-oascii117t if she was foascii117nd gascii117ilty of criminal offences.

She is facing three sets of charges in relation to her time at News International. Ms Brooks has been accascii117sed of conspiring with her hascii117sband, Charlie Brooks, and others to pervert the coascii117rse of jascii117stice and frascii117strate a Scotland Yard investigation.

She is also facing two charges relating to conspiring to intercept the voicemails of individascii117als inclascii117ding the schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Ms Brooks is also charged in relation to payments allegedly made to a former official from the Ministry of Defence in retascii117rn for stories.

The payment to Ms Brooks contribascii117ted to a worrying set of accoascii117nts for NI Groascii117p which reported a &poascii117nd;189.4m loss after tax.