Rebekah Brooks Will be Grilled on Phone Hacking, Political Connections at U.K. Panel Inquiry

Rebekah Brooks Will be Grilled on Phone Hacking, Political Connections at U.K. Panel Inquiry

Former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks will testify next week at a U.K. media ethics panel inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World.

In addition, Andy Coulson, the tabloid's former editor and Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications director, is also slated to testify next week.

Brooks is expected to be grilled about her relationship with police officials and top politicians in the country, according to the Telegraph.

Dubbed the Leveson Inquiry, the panel was formed last summer in the wake of the phone hacking and bribery scandal that engulfed News Corp.'s U.K. operations. The panel is investigating the extent of the illegal news-gathering tactics at the News of the World, and the general culture of British media.

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The news comes after a U.K. parliamentary report this week concluded that News Corp.'s handling of the News of the World scandal demonstrated that the company's founder, Rupert Murdoch, was "not a fit person" to lead a major media organization.

Brooks, a former top lieutenant to Murdoch, was editor of the News of the World when hacking took place. She resigned from the company in July after criticism intensified over her handling of the scandal. She has been arrested twice on suspicion of corruption and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Coulson served as editor of the News of the World from 2003 to 2007 before leaving to join Cameron's team. He left the prime minister's administration in January 2011 as questions swirled about his knowledge of illegal practices at the tabloid. He too was arrested for his alleged role in the hacking.

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