The publisher of a British tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch denied on Friday a report that it had accessed the voice mail of celebrities and politicians and tried to suppress evidence of the hacking. The Guardian newspaper has accused the News of the World of paying private investigators to obtain voice mail messages, bank statements and other information about public figures, including Gwyneth Paltrow, George Michael and senior British politicians. The News of the World's royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed in January 2007 for hacking into the phones of palace officials, and The Guardian claimed in its Thursday report that the practice was widespread at the newspaper at the time. Police said the allegations were thoroughly examined during the Goodman case and they will not reopen an investigation. “It goes without saying that had the police uncovered such evidence, charges would have been brought against other News of the World personnel,” News International said in a statement release Friday evening. “Not only have there been no such charges, but the police have not considered it necessary to arrest or question any other member of News of the World staff.” The Guardian wrote that the News of the World had paid more than 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) in secret out-of-court settlements to three of the targets.
