The former chairman of the Church of England newspaper has criticised The Independent co-founder Andreas Whittam Smith's role in the Church's decision to sell its £1.9m shareholding in News Corp, suggesting he had a conflict of interest.

Last week, the Church sold its £1.9m shareholding in News Corp over concerns about the governance of the media organisation.

But Robert Leach, former chairman of the Church of England newspaper (pictured, right), has said Andreas Whittam Smith, director of Independent Print Ltd, publisher of The Independent and chairman of the Church Commissioners' asset committee, should not have been part of the decision to disinvest from News Corp. 

He told civilsociety.co.uk: "Andreas Whittam Smith is the director of a rival to News Corp and has publicly critcised the organisation, so it would have been better if he played no part in the decision to disinvest. It is important that the decision is seen to be fair."

But a Church of England spokesman responded: "We don't accept the way that the asset committee reached its decision somehow contravened Charity Commission guidelines.

"We all, including all Church Commissioners, have different roles and different interests, which those guidelines help us to manage when there is a particular conflict.

"But the rule does not bar anyone with any possible interest from taking part in the organisation's business. And in this particular instance, Andreas Whittam Smith had no real or pecuniary interest we can detect."  

Whittam Smith has written a number of opinion pieces for The Independent criticising people and companies associated with News Corp, including News of the World and Rupert Murdoch.