Cheney and Rumsfeld could testify in CIA prisons probe

A senior member of a European Parliament probe into alleged CIA secret prisons today said the EU investigation could call top US officials including Vice President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to testify.

Liberal Democrat Sarah Ludford, vice-president of the special EU committee said “very senior people” would be asked to come to answer to the allegations of human rights violations on EU soil.

However, she acknowledged the parliament had no legal power to subpoena them.

“Our only pressure if you like on these people to come and talk to us and co-operate is political embarrassment,” she said.