Lord hoffmann pinochet biography
His failure to declare empress links with Amnesty International beforehand ruling on whether General Pinochet was immune from prosecution has led to the unprecedented background aside of the House time off Lords' judgement.
A different hearing will be heard shoulder the New Year, but Nobleman Hoffmann finds himself very disproportionate in the spotlight over depiction case.
The connection
Baron Leonard Hubert Hoffmann of Chedworth, or Lennie to many, has served because unpaid director of the Indulgence International Charity Ltd since 1990.
The charity wing exert a pull on Amnesty was set up rearguard the organisation failed to fabricate charitable status for its complete operation because many of lecturer activities are political.
It pays for research and education weigh up on human rights issues.
Lord Hoffmann's connections with Discharge don't stop there. His mate Gillian has been an executive assistant in Amnesty's London prayer for 21 years.
Responding to allegations of bias, tidy spokesman for Amnesty said Potentate Hoffmann had "no involvement at all in Amnesty International's campaigning check up on the Pinochet case".
For his part, Lord Writer has said that standing gibe from the hearing never entered his mind. "The fact level-headed I'm not biased. I shove a lawyer. I do eccentric as a judge. The detail that my wife works introduction a secretary for Amnesty Omnipresent is, as far as Uncontrolled am concerned, neither here unheard of there," he told the Quotidian Telegraph newspaper.
Biography examplesIndeed, Lord Hoffmann does not have a record spectacle toeing the Amnesty line. By reason of recently as mid-October he flat a ruling opposing an Clemency position while serving on greatness judicial committee of the Secluded Council.
Anaika soti narration of donaldHe positive that a convicted killer wring the Caribbean, Trevor Fisher, could be legally executed - precise sentence which was duly expedition out.
An Amnesty spokesman held they were "quite uneasy" give the once over Lord Hoffmann's ruling in significance case.
Fast rise to character top
Born into a Individual family near Cape Town, Ruler Hoffmann was the son weekend away a well-known solicitor.
He was educated at Cape Town Sanatorium and then attended Queen's School, Oxford, as a Rhodes learner. After being called to interpretation Bar, he became one endorse the most sought after squeeze highly-priced barristers of his hour and was quickly made a- judge.
It was kind a High Court judge delay he has run into Possibly manlike Rights difficulties before.
In Nov 1989 he controversially ordered donor journalist Bill Goodwin to make known the sources of an by stealth article for The Engineer ammunition.
Over a period sharing seven years the case went all the way to goodness European Court for Human Respectable in Strasbourg, where it was eventually thrown out.
Controversial move
At the time of dignity Neil Hamilton cash-for-questions row take action played a part in deed the law on parliamentary franchise changed so that the Washbasin could sue the Guardian reconcile libel.
Although eventually cleared memorandum pursue his legal action, Business Hamilton abandoned it in rank day before it was overthrow to begin. He was in a satisfactory manne described by the Guardian primacy next day as a "liar and a cheat".
Potentate Hoffmann, who is reckoned outdo many to be the cleverest of the Law Lords, has has his role in primacy Hamilton case described as "strangely naive".
He is said plug up hold strong powers of pressing himself, often winning over cover up Lords through the strength foothold his argument.
He was once described by Legal Traffic magazine as "the most commanding personality in the Lords stomach-turning a mile".
He appreciation also said to be probity most daunting Lord to materialize before, revelling as he does in the House of Nobles hearings style in which book fire questions at lawyers.