Source: Times The (UK) Contact: http://www.the-times.co.uk/ Pubdate: Thu, 7 May 1998 MAKERS DENY FAKING DRUGS DOCUMENTARY Raymond Snoddy and Carol Midgley on claims over Carlton TV film THE film-makers behind a controversial award-winning documentary on the Colombian drugs trade yesterday denied newspaper allegations that they had faked the programme. They are considering legal action. Roger James, executive producer of The Connection, said last night that he would continue to back Marc de Beaufort, the film-maker, until he saw convincing evidence to the contrary. "Allegations of a conspiracy at Carlton were absolute rubbish," he added. Mr de Beaufort dismissed The Guardian's allegations, saying that he had given full co-operation to its inquiries during the past eight months and that its claims were based on the testimony "of a convicted drug trafficker and a disgruntled former employee of Carlton Television". He insisted that he stood by the integrity of his work. The Guardian alleged that drug "mules" seen in the film had been fakes who did not have drugs in their stomach when they came into Britain and that the man interviewed as the number three in the Cali drugs cartel had in fact been a retired bank cashier with low-level connections to the drug trade. The paper also said that the journey from Colombia to London presented as a continuous 24-hour trip was filmed in two legs six months apart. The Independent Television Commission and Carlton Television have launched investigations into the claims which, if proved, could result in a heavy fine for the broadcaster. The irony behind The Guardian's allegations is that they were published the day after the Independent Television Commission made some of its most favourable comments on the quality of Carlton Television programmes. In 1993, Carlton's first year on air after ousting Thames Television from the London weekday franchise, the commission - commercial television's regulatory body - was scathing about the company's performance. It said that it had been "well below expectation" and that the company's offerings to the ITV network had been neither distinctive nor of notably high quality. Since then Carlton's reputation as a programme-maker has improved considerably and on Tuesday the commission praised its high-quality programmes and singled out its strong contributions on social action themes. The Connection, the documentary complained of, did not come from inexperienced independent producers but was an in-house production from Central, the second largest ITV company, which is owned by Carlton. Six days before the film's transmission Mr James, its executive producer, and Don Christopher, head of legal affairs at Carlton, had a meeting with Adriana Quintana, the Colombian researcher on the programme. According to those there, including a translator, she spent two hours complaining that she had not received enough money for risking her life in making the programme. She left a document that contained a number of allegations about the programme-making process. But both Mr James and Mr Christopher formed the opinion that her allegations were contradictory and motivated mainly by money. They decided to take no further action. Neither decided to refer the issue to senior editorial management and the documentary went ahead as scheduled. Apart from winning prizes, the programme was sold to 14 countries. Mr de Beaufort said last night of the Guardian journalists involved: "I have repeatedly invited them to interview me and view all my film's rushes in the face of their constantly changing allegations." The Carlton board decided to make no new statement until the second part of The Guardian's report is published today. Nigel Walmsley, Carlton director of broadcasting, said the company had not been able to substantiate the newspaper's allegations but that the issues involved would be fully investigated and the result made public. - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)