Explain why you sold Britain's gold, Gordon Brown told
Gordon Brown has been ordered to release information before the general election about his controversial decision to sell Britain's gold reserves.
布朗已被下令在大選前發放資料，對他出售英國的黃金儲備的爭議性決定。
By Holly Watt and Robert Winnett
Published: 11:55AM GMT 24 Mar 2010
Gordon Brown pushed ahead with the of Britain's gold despite serious misgivings at the Bank of England, it is believed Photo: REX/ALAMYThe decision to sell the gold – taken by Mr Brown when he was Chancellor – is regarded as one of the Treasury's worst financial mistakes and has cost taxpayers almost £7 billion.
出售黃金 的決定- 由布朗决定，當他是財相 - 被視為財政部其中一個最差的金融錯誤，並已要納稅人近七十億英鎊代價。
Mr Brown and the Treasury have repeatedly refused to disclose information about the gold sale amid allegations that warnings were ignored.
布朗先生及財政部一再拒絕，透露有關出售黃金的資料，正當有指控那時的警告被忽略。
Following a series of freedom of information requests from The Daily Telegraph over the past four years, the Information Commissioner has ordered the Treasury to release some details. The Treasury must publish the information demanded within 35 calendar days – by the end of April.
經過每日電訊報在過去 4年中，一連串的自由資料索取的要求，信息專員已下令財政部發布一些細節，財政部必須在35天內公佈被要求的資料 - 約4月底。
The sale is expected to be become a major election issue, casting light on Mr Brown's decisions while at the Treasury.
出售預計將成為一項重要的選舉議題，投射光影在布朗仍在財政部時的決定。
Last night, George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, demanded that the information was published immediately. "Gordon Brown's decision to sell off our gold reserves at the bottom of the market cost the British taxpayer billions of pounds," he said. "It was one of the worst economic judgements ever made by a chancellor.
"The British public have a right to know what happened and why so much of their money was lost. The documents should be published immediately."
Between 1999 and 2002, Mr Brown ordered the sale of almost 400 tons of the gold reserves when the price was at a 20-year low. Since then, the price has more than quadrupled, meaning the decision cost taxpayers an estimated £7 billion, according to Mike Warburton of the accountants Grant Thornton.
It is understood that Mr Brown pushed ahead with the sale despite serious misgivings at the Bank of England. It is not thought that senior Bank experts were even consulted about the decision, which was driven through by a small group of senior Treasury aides close to Mr Brown.
The Treasury has been officially censured by the Information Commissioner over its attempts to block the release of information about the gold sales.
The Information Commissioner's decision itself is set to become the subject of criticism. The commissioner has taken four years to rule on the release of the documents, despite intense political and public interest in the sales. Officials have missed a series of their own deadlines to order the information's release, which will now prevent a proper parliamentary analysis of the disclosures.
It can also be disclosed that the commissioner has held a series of private meetings with the Treasury and has agreed for much of the paperwork to remain hidden from the public. The Treasury was allowed to review the decision notice when it was in draft form – and may have been permitted to make numerous changes.
In the official notice, the Information Commissioner makes it clear that only a "limited" release of information has been ordered.
Ed Balls, who is now the Schools Secretary, Ed Miliband, now the Climate Change Secretary, and Baroness Vadera, another former minister, were all close aides to the chancellor during the relevant period.
If the information is not released by the end of April, the Treasury will be in "contempt of court" and will face legal action. A spokesman said last night that the Treasury was not preparing to appeal against the ruling.
拍賣如何要納稅人代價70億英鎊
How auctions cost taxpayer £7bn
The price of gold has quadrupled since Gordon Brown sold more than half of Britain’s reserves.
黃金價格已翻了四倍，自布朗售出英國的儲備一半以上。
The Treasury pre-announced its plans to sell 395 tons of the 715 tons held by the Bank of England, which caused prices to fall.
財政部在計劃前宣布出售英國央行所持七百一十五噸中的三百九十五噸，造成價格下跌。
The bullion was sold in 17 auctions between 1999 and 2002, with dealers paying between $256 and $296 an ounce. Since then, the price has increased rapidly. Yesterday, it stood at $1,100 an ounce.
黃金在17個1999年至2002年的拍賣被出售 ，經銷商支付每盎斯256美元至$ 296美元之間。自那時以來，價格迅速上升；昨天，它企穩每盎司1,100美元。
The taxpayer lost an estimated £7 billion, twice the amount lost when Britain left the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992.
納稅人損失估計達到 70億鎊，兩倍的金額損失當英國於 1992年離開匯率機制。
The proceeds from the sales were invested in dollars, euros and yen. In recent years, most other countries have begun buying gold again in large quantities.
銷售收益被投資於美元、歐元和日元。近年來，大多數其它國家已經開始再次大量購入黃金。
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/gold/7511589/Explain-why-you-sold-Britains-gold-Gordon-Brown-told.html
各國黃金儲備藏在哪？
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