Securing the company’s voluntary cooperation appeared to be the most efficient course of action.
‘Green Light’
During a meeting on Feb. 9, Mr. Cheesbrough discussed a planned email upgrade, but failed to mention a crucial detail that investigators only recently discovered: a large number of emails had been deleted shortly before, with Mr. Lewis playing a role in the decision.
In January, the company deleted approximately 11 million emails, as stated in the lawsuits.
Then, on Feb. 3, Mr. Lewis authorized the deletion of another 15.2 million emails, based on News Corporation records.
It wasn’t until March that an agreement was reached between the company and the police. Moving forward, detectives could request keyword and name searches, which would be conducted by a third party and then reviewed by the company for any objections.
By April, only 54 emails had been handed over by the company, according to the plaintiffs’ claims.
Around this time, Mr. Lewis became the main contact for the police, solidifying his role as a key collaborator. The Guardian newspaper referred to him as “News Corp’s cleanup campaigner,” highlighting his importance in the scandal.
Despite initial optimism, detectives involved in the case began to question the level of cooperation. Detective Sgt. Wayne Harknett, a computer specialist, noted discrepancies in the evidence provided, raising suspicions.
2024-06-24 21:09:24
Source from www.nytimes.com