UK gov't admits to largest intelligence scandal in Ministry of Defence history

Pars Today – After two years of concealment and enforcement of a top-secret judicial order, the British government on Tuesday finally acknowledged one of the most significant intelligence scandals in the history of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence Secretary John Healey, speaking in the House of Commons, officially apologized for the catastrophic leak of confidential information concerning thousands of Afghans who had worked with British forces in Afghanistan. He described the leak as “a serious institutional error” that had been concealed from Parliament and the public by the previous government under judicial censorship.

The crisis began in January 2022 when a Ministry of Defence employee mistakenly sent a file containing identifying and contact information for nearly 18,700 Afghan nationals to unintended recipients. The Ministry remained unaware of the breach until August 2023. The government at the time subsequently obtained a top-secret court order in September of that year to prevent public disclosure.          

ME