ANGRY MP Jack Straw today demanded to know why crooked civil servant Gordon Foxley has been released after just two years in prison with his ill-gotten fortune still intact.

It has emerged that he has not repaid any of the £1.5 million he accepted in bribes to divert ammunition orders from Blackburn's Royal Ordnance Factory to three foreign firms. When Foxley was jailed in May 1994, trial judge Mr Justice Brooks imprisoned him for four years and ordered him to serve an extra three if he failed to repay the cash within 18 months.

But now the Parole Board has freed Foxley, jailed for the biggest single fraud in Whitehall history and allowed him back to his luxury home in Henley, Oxfordshire.

The Crown Prosecution Service has revealed that Mr Foxley has not paid any money back.

A spokesman said: "We did ask him and he has not paid it."

Now the CPS is applying to the courts to seize his assets and although they might be able to get hold of his home, other property and cash in this country, 71-year-old Foxley is understood to have large sums in Swiss bank accounts.

The MoD police have complained that the Swiss authorities have obstructed their investigations.

Now Mr Straw has written to Attorney General Nicholas Lyell asking to know whether the conditions about repayment laid down by the trial judge have been satisfied by Foxley. Mr Straw said today: "If it is true that the Parole Board let Foxley out of prison without repaying the money, it is outrageous.

"It appears that he may have paid not a penny and that is why I want the full details from the Attorney General.

"If it is true, then it is an insult to the taxpayer and to the workers at Royal Ordnance Factory.

"Getting at least £750,000 for every year in prison is not bad, is it?"

In a separate development, the MoD announced yesterday that one of the three companies involved in paying bribes to Foxley for orders - Roufoss AS, of Norway - had paid compensation to Britain, including interest and costs.

It had also made a "statement of contrition" apologising for its actions and will now be considered again for MoD orders although normal commercial relations will not be resumed for some months while the payments are made.

Defence Procurement Minister James Arbuthnot said discussions were still taking place with the other two companies in the Foxley case.

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