Lawyers speculating on Rupert Murdoch's intentions for his
publishing empire have said that closure or a sell off of his entire UK
newspaper business, including titles such as The Times, the Sunday Times and
The Sun, could happen should charges be brought against News UK in relation to
phone hacking and bribery of public officials. The ‘nuclear option’ would be a
bid to prevent any fallout from the affair from damaging Murdoch’s commercial
interests in the US, according to Anil Rajani of IBB Law. He told The
Telegraph: “News UK can’t be charged as a corporate entity if it doesn’t exist
as a corporation. And if a company is in the process of being wound up, it also
counts as a factor against prosecution.” It follows confirmation that the
Metropolitan Police are now treating the company as a corporate suspect in its
investigation, opening the possibility of corporate charges being brought
against it.
