Bell of Bell Pottinger says he had ‘nothing to do with’ Gupta account
The former chairperson of the UK PR company distances himself from the scandal, noting he left last year because ‘nobody listened to him’ regarding the account
Former chairperson of PR firm Bell Pottinger‚ Tim Bell‚ has distanced himself from a contract his former company signed with Gupta-owned company Oakbay. He was speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight on Monday night following the ruling by the UK’s Public Relations and Communications Association to terminate Bell Pottinger’s membership for five years for its campaign for the Gupta family which stoked racial tensions‚ particularly hostility aimed at wealthy whites. Bell resigned as chairperson of Bell Pottinger in August last year. He admitted to coming to SA in January last year to meet the Guptas and decide whether they needed PR help or not. "I came back and I said to [CEO] James Henderson that it was a very interesting piece of business‚ but we could not handle it because of conflict of interest‚" he said. However‚ the interviewer mentioned that Bell wrote an e-mail on January 18 2016 saying the trip was a success. The e-mail also said the company would earn £100‚000 a month with interes...
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