The content of the meeting was a surprise. Rafi had gone along expecting Kate to be offered a posting far away from the south-east – somewhere like Manchester – and assumed he’d been invited along so he didn’t feel left out of the process.
The meeting started with the PM’s permanent secretary setting out his boss’s stance. ‘Following the recent terrorist attacks, the PM believes that the EU is missing a trick in the war on terror. Standards and ethics of what is acceptable and unacceptable, or what is legal or illegal, differ from country to country. Despite anti-money laundering legislation being enacted, there seems to be no let-up in the shady financial activities of terrorists and drug dealers. The PM believes that there is an urgent need for transparency. More information needs to be in the public domain as to who controls which company or business.’
He adjusted his cufflinks and continued. ‘The Stratford terrorists built up large business interests and concealed them right under our noses. The concern is that with a growing number of public companies going private and the enormous wealth of a relatively small but significant number of individuals, the authorities are losing sight of who is controlling what, and what exactly the money is being used to finance in the shadier recesses of our countries. At one level, profits are being channelled out of Europe into tax havens and, at another, a growing number of private companies and individuals are operating as if they’re beholden to no one. Giles, would you like to continue?’
‘Yes, of course,’ replied Giles. ‘Before Stratford, being an immensely wealthy person entitled one to low levels of scrutiny. Key questions weren’t asked for fear of driving business away. The richer someone was, the more a blind eye was turned. There’s a dichotomy: on the one hand we have the politicians who have power to smooth people’s paths, but rarely have much personal wealth, and on the other hand there are those with immense personal wealth and insatiable desires, but who need favours to pursue their ambitions. Too many people view greasing a palm or two as a legitimate cost of doing business. There are, across Europe, growing levels of corruption and a lack of transparency as to what is going on. This trend concerns the PM.’
‘DCI Adams and Mr Khan,’ interjected the permanent secretary, ‘The President of the European Commission is also very concerned that the lack of financial transparency and the dubious financial practices are encouraging criminal activities and resulting in billions of Euros of tax slipping away. He is creating a new task force, led by the former head of a German State police force. His team will comprise four senior detectives, four special advisers and a small team of technical specialists who have a detailed knowledge of criminal practices and money matters. It will be based in Luxembourg. The remit is to report to the EU President on the practicalities of making European-wide financial affairs more transparent. DCI Adams, you are requested to apply for one of the four senior detective posts.’
Kate’s mouth fell open.
‘Obviously, as this is a European Union appointment, there will be an interview process to go through; a shortlist has been drawn up and unless you tell the interview panel to take a hike, I would submit that the post is yours. You would be seconded from the City of London police force and be able to come back here at a future date. Salary and terms and conditions will, we believe, be acceptable. There would be a modest flat in Luxembourg included in the package. The post in the first instance will be for three years.’
Before Kate had the opportunity to reply, the permanent secretary turned to Rafi. ‘Mr Khan, you have shown yourself to be very enterprising in unravelling the web that the Stratford terrorists had spun. The President of the EU Commission and our Prime Minister have asked me to enquire whether you would be willing to have your name put forward to join the task force as a special adviser. You would suffer a significant reduction in remuneration, but it has been suggested to us that there may be other aspects of the job that would appeal to you, thereby making the salary less of an issue?’
There was a pause. Rafi looked at Kate. She had a big smile on her face, which he took to be a Yes.
‘For whom would I be working?’ enquired Rafi.
‘Well, that depends to whom you’re talking,’ said Ewan. ‘Officially, you would be employed by the European Commission, but in practice you’d be on secondment from MI5. I have it on good authority that Neil and his team are very impressed by you. Intelligence will be an important feature of your work, hence your inclusion with our security services.’
‘Are you interested?’ asked the permanent secretary.
Rafi looked at Kate again and then back at the permanent secretary.
‘Would it be alright for Kate and me to discuss this by ourselves for a few minutes?’
‘Of course; do use the room next door,’ said the commissioner.
Kate sat down with Rafi in the adjoining office.
‘What do you think?’ asked Rafi.
‘I have a few concerns: first of all, could you stand working and living with me? And how would you feel working for me? And also, do you like the idea of living in Luxembourg and travelling around Europe, working out how the system is being manipulated?’ asked Kate.
Rafi looked at her smiling face; there could only be one answer – ‘Yes.’
‘Excellent. Shall we give it a go? If we enjoy it, great, but if we’ve been sold a pup we can always come back to the UK and find something else to do.’
‘I don’t think we should be seen to be too hasty. Why not ask them a few more questions before saying yes?’ suggested Rafi.
They walked back into the meeting room and sat down.
‘Your proposals are intriguing and interesting,’ Kate started. ‘How much autonomy would there be?’
‘It will be a small team and it will have autonomy.’
‘If I’m operating overseas, why is MI5 and not MI6 involved?’ asked Rafi.
‘Good point,’ commented Ewan. ‘MI6 know nothing about what’s going on. We thought that, as you know us and we know you, it would be simpler if you were seconded from MI5.’
Rafi nodded.
‘Will other national intelligence services be involved?’ asked Kate.
‘Undoubtedly. It’s likely that each special adviser will have an intelligence background. You, Mr Khan, are the so-called ace up one’s sleeve. Whilst the Kates of this world know their way around accounts and corrupt businesses, and intelligence service people have their skills, you have the real market experience and a sixth sense for the extraordinary.’
‘Is there a pecking order in the team?’ enquired Kate.
‘Yes. There’s a boss, to whom you’ll report, and, below you, you’ll have a support team at your beck and call. As far as the four police officers and four special advisers are concerned, it’s expected that you’ll work as partners. The type of work you’ll be doing doesn’t go with structured hierarchies.’
Rafi looked across at Ewan. ‘If I get the job, could I spend a few days with Neil’s team to see what resources would be at my disposal?’
‘Of course!’ replied Ewan. ‘If you accept this post you will become one of us and will have access to the full scope of our resources. And we might even throw in a spot of training as well! The PM is placing great importance on this specialist task force. There may only be a few of you, but what you might lack in numbers will more than be made up for by a combination of your individual skills and the resources behind you.’
‘Why Luxembourg and not, say, Brussels?’ enquired Kate.
‘Luxembourg has become a major money and investment management centre. It’s midway between the two European Parliaments – Brussels and Strasbourg – and it’s within driving distance of Frankfurt, where the chief currently lives. Plus, it has a good little airport at Findel, five kilometres north-east of the city, which gives access to a large number of European cities. Also, there’s a well-staffed British Embassy there. And I hear the standard of living is rather good,’ came the reply.