Britain's High Commissioner Peter Penfold is set to escape with little more than a ticking off for his role in the Arms to Africa affair.

Mr Penfold, 53, of Fisherman's Wharf, Abingdon, was hailed a hero for his alleged part in helping to supply arms to Nigerian troops to oust Sierra Leone's hated military junta last February.

Mr Penfold took the unusual step of going into exile in Guinea with the deposed President Kabbah and also had at least one meeting with the British mercenary firm Sandline, during preparations for restoring democratic civilian rule.

In yesterday's (MON) report by Sir Thomas Legg, which cleared ministers and blamed misjudgements on overworked officials for a breach of the UN arms embargo on Sierra Leone, it is claimed that Mr Penfold exceeded his authority in contacts with Sandline.

He was said to have given the firm a degree of approval "which he had no authority to do".

But Mr Penfold did not know the shipment would be illegal and "no other official gave any encouragement or approval".

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook welcomed the report's findings in a Commons statement, promising there would be "no scapegoats" and pledging that "this should be the end of the matter as far as officials are concerned".

The report concluded that "some officials became aware or had notice of the plan" to ship arms to Sierra Leone to aid President Ahmed Kabbah's bid to restore his government.

Mr Cook is now planning a sweeping programme of reforms in the Foreign Office which he hopes will prevent a repeat of the Arms to Sierra Leone affair.

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