Public Interest Immunity Certificates

Public Interest Immunity Certificates (PII) (so-called gagging orders) are issued by British government ministers to prevent the release of particular secret documents in court cases whose disclosure is said to threaten the national interest or endanger the work of the secret services.

The use (or abuse) of PIIs was a major part of the Arms-to-Iraq scandal and the Iraqi Supergun Affair.

See: The Use of Public Interest Immunity Claims in Criminal Cases by Sir Richard Scott