Jonathan Aitken

British politician, a Member of Parliament returned at the General Election of 6/11/1987. A respected politician who attained the post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he was subjected to allegations by the Guardian publications of traveling down a dark road of concealment, deceit, perversion and finally, perjury. He responded with a defamation suit and a fight that lasted 3 1/2 years before he was brought to justice. Clever, ruthless, formidable and charming, Aitken had a boyhood ambition to become Prime Minister of the UK, a game plan of riches and power. The nefarious means that he took to reach his goal began to unravel with a weekend in Paris on 9/17/1993, the weekend on which the Guardian reported and for which he sued for libel. Staying at a 1,000 pound-a-night suite, he later swore that his wife and daughter had been with him. In truth, she was never there. For the prior 15 years his patron had been Prince Mohammed, the son of the Saudi King Fahd. With the Prince, money flowed and his chief "fixer" was Aitken at the center of financial intrigue in the halls of power and wealth. Incredibly wealthy men dealt with awesome sums when buying and selling arms, frigates, helicopters, oil, favors - and women. Aitken's trip to Paris was not a matter of record, his bill was paid and his mission was secret. His Arab friend, Said Ayas, booked the rooms. The son of a conservative M.P., Aitken was an Eton graduate the class of '59. His uncle was the famed Lord Beaverbrook. His younger sister, Maria, became an actress. As a child of three, he had tuberculosis that spread to his bones, making it necessary for him to be immobile for three years of treatments, an ordeal that seems to have turned him inward to convoluted realms. During WW II, his dad joined the service and was injured, shot down. At Oxford, Aitken read law. He became secretary to Selwyn Lloyd, Chancellor of the Exchequer. At 21, he was one of 50 young parliamentary hopefuls and he co-authored his first book. The world was at his feet and his future seemed golden. In 1964, his dad died, and the young man joined a family paper as a journalist while writing his second book. He was taking LSD as part of the London youth scene and developing personal sexual proclivities that had started with his canings at Eton. In 1969 he was a conservative candidate when he was caught in his first political lie. He managed to sidestep and deny the issue. Handsome, sophisticated, witty and a charming companion, he had a number of affairs with noted women in the social milieu, including a notorious affair with Lady Antonia Fraser. He was returned as conservative M.P. in 1974. That year he married Serbian Olivera Lolicia Azuchi. At the time of his marriage he was having a foolhardy liaison with Carol Thatcher, the daughter of the Prime Minister. For the next 13 years, he sat on the back benches of the political house with no advancement. Jonathan and Lolicia had twin daughters, Alexandra and Victoria, in November 1979 and a son, William, in 1985. (In January 1997, he was served with a paternity suit by 18-year-old Petrina Khashoggi, the daughter of Soroya Khashoggi, the wife of an immensely powerful man. DNA proved that Petrina was indeed his daughter, born about a month apart from his twins.) Aitken focused on step two of his plan, making money in business. He began to develop his contacts with the Saudis. In the summer of 1973 he first met the Prince, the grandson of King Ibn Saud, and his good friend Said Ayas. By mid-1976 he was effectively on the Prince's payroll and receiving perks as a key member of the Prince's entourage. His business deals and purchases included the procurement of girls to please an international clientele. He himself had a 27-month affair with Paula, a dominatrix who specialized in bondage and chastisement. He kept whips, canes, riding crops and birch twigs at his London apartment. By 1988 he was a busy deal-maker, a trader of "favors" and connections. Billions of pounds changed hands involving the Saudis, Syria, Iran, Iraq, along with a trail of concealment and lies to cover his activities. When Thatcher was deposed in 1990, John Major became P.M. The most sparkling member of the Conservative Party, Aitken became, at 49, the British Minister for Defense. In July 1994, he was promoted to the cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, becoming the Right Honorable Jonathan Aitken. Investigations were carried out covertly, and the Guardian came out with Paula's sensational story on 7/09/1995. In December 1995, articles began to hit the tabloids about arms-smuggling. Aitken responded in attack mode. He cried "Libel," and swung his "sword of truth." The next three years saw a war of allegations and legal writs, exposes, testimonies and requisitions of records and throughout, lies upon lies. On 2/26/1997, Queen Elizabeth II removed his name from the list of Privy Councilors', only the third member to resign this century. On 5/01/1997, Aitken lost his Conservative seat; there was a Labour landslide and Tony Blair was named P.M. Aitken was now an ex-politician and an ex-minister. On 6/04/1997, the libel case of the Guardian went to trial. It was great theatre with Aitken a credible witness, witty, relaxed, confident and fluent. He lost the case with a settlement attempt on June 19th. Scotland Yard began its investigation on 6/25/1997. On 5/20/1998, Aitken was arrested and charged with perjury and conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Aitken owed 2.7 million pounds to the Guardian as well as funds to his creditors. Not to be outdone, he transferred assets to his wife's name, disposing of four properties and pension funds plus off-shore accounts. On 8/19/1998, he and Lolicia "divorced" in Switzerland and she took her assets out of the country. While living on 11,000 pounds a month, he claimed total poverty. His assets had all "disappeared." Aitken went to trial at Old Bailey on 1/19/1999. To the Trade and Industry Select Committee investigating arms sales to Iran, he said, "My own conscience in this matter could not be clearer." When the charges were read, he did not make the mistake he had made in challenging the Guardian: he pled guilty. He declared insolvency to his creditors and on 5/10/1999, declared bankruptcy. Jonathan Aitken was sentenced to 18 months prison on 6/08/1999. Link to Wikipedia biography Link to Astrodienst discussion forum