The chauffeur at the centre of a row with David Lammy has told claimed he thought the Foreign Secretary was carrying a gun. According to documents obtained by The Sun on Sunday, Nasim Mimun, 40, alleged to French officials that two cars followed his as he drove Lammy from Forli in Italy to Flaine, a ski village in Haute Savoie in the French Alps.
Mimum has been charged with theft after been accused of driving away with Mr Lammy and his wife’s luggage when a row broke out over payment. It is understood that Mr Lammy had paid a pre-agreed sum prior to the journey, but that Mimun demanded an additional €700 (£590) due to his passenger’s VIP status. Mr Lammy denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Mimun told prosecutors in an on-the-record statement contained in the legal documents: “When I received the transport request, the name of the victims was not mentioned nor that they were authority figures, which is what constitutes a transport risk so the tariff is not the same.
“I asked for €700 to be paid. They refused, and they left. He came towards me. I left in the car. I was scared, because I knew since Forli that he had a gun on him.
“I called the Swiss police, I pressed on the GPS, to find the nearest police station or gendarmerie, and it indicated the municipal police of Cluses.
“By coincidence, they said I stole €700 from them. The suitcase had a code. We were followed from Italy by two vehicles because of her husband.”
The row broke out on April 10 as the taxi approached the French border and Mimun asked for additional payment due to Mr Lammy’s status, something the Foreign Secretary refused to do.
After an exchange words as the couple disembarked, Mimun allegedly drove off with heir luggage to a local police station where he lodged the complaint.
A member of the Foreign Office then contacted him to get the luggage back, which was deposited at a police station, allegedly with a sum of money missing.
Mr Lammy had no bodyguard in the car with him for the journey and the affair has raised questions about the security arrangements of senior government ministers.
At the time, Mr Lammy was travelling on a private holiday after accompanying the King and Queen during their state visit to Italy.
It is not believed that Mr Lammy had his red ministerial box or any sensitive documents on him at the time of the row and both he and his wife have been named as victims of theft.
Sources close to Mr Lammy told The Sun that he did not have one, saying: “It’s a completely absurd allegation. Of course he didn’t have a gun.”
But in an interview with The Sun on Sunday, Mr Mimun claimed: “When I bent down to pick up his luggage when we set off, I was at the height of Mr Lammy’s waist, and I saw he was carrying a firearm.
“When I asked for the 700 euros extra, Mr Lammy started screaming and shouting abuse.
“I could see in my rear-view mirror that he was coming for me and — because he had a gun on him — I sped off.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “We totally refute these allegations.
“The Foreign Secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been fired by his employer and charged with theft.
“As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
