The Japan Times - UK police launching criminal probe into ex-envoy Mandelson

The news came only hours after Mandelson resigned from the upper house of parliament Tuesday, as the scandal over his ties to Epstein effectively ended his decades-long political career.

"The Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office offences," Commander Ella Marriott, of the London-based force, said in a statement.

A pivotal and often divisive figure in British politics, Mandelson, once dubbed the "Prince of Darkness", has joined the dozens of royals and politicians engulfed in the Epstein maelstrom.

The former minister and ex-EU trade commissioner announced he was resigning from the House of Lords as of Wednesday, Speaker Michael Forsyth told members.

Documents released by the US Justice Department last week contained emails between prominent figures and Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, often revealing warm relations, illicit financial dealings and private photos.

Records released on Friday suggested that in 2009, Mandelson, while business secretary, forwarded an economic briefing to Epstein intended for then-prime minister Gordon Brown, captioning it: "Interesting note that's gone to the PM."

According to one email, Epstein, who was released from jail in 2009 after serving an 18-month term for soliciting a minor, also emailed Mandelson in May 2010 asking about the European Union's bailout of Greece.

"Sources tell me 500b euro bailout, almost compelte (sic)," Epstein wrote. "Sd be announced tonight," came the reply.

Epstein appeared to have transferred a total of $75,000 in three payments to accounts linked to the veteran Labour politician between 2003 and 2004.

Mandelson told the BBC on Sunday he had no memory of the money transfers and did not know whether the documents were authentic.

His decision to quit came shortly after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had "let his country down".

Starmer told ministers he was "appalled" at the revelations regarding Mandelson, according to a Downing Street readout of a cabinet meeting.

"The alleged passing on of emails of highly sensitive government business was disgraceful," the prime minister said, warning he feared more information could yet emerge.

- Long Epstein shadow -

Starmer made it clear the government "would cooperate" with any police inquiries into the matter, and the Met police confirmed there had been "a referral from the UK government".

Ex-PM Brown, under whom Mandelson served as business secretary from 2008 to 2010, said Tuesday he had written to the Met with "relevant" information.

"Corruption in public office is ordinarily regarded as a serious abuse of the public's trust, and conviction for a misconduct offence would almost invariably lead to a prison sentence," criminal law professor at the London School of Economics, Jeremy Horder, told AFP.

Starmer has faced mounting criticism of his initial decision to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, before sacking him last September, less than a year into his post.

The Epstein affair has cast a shadow far beyond the United States.

Other documents previously made public and a posthumous memoir by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre prompted King Charles III to last year strip his brother Andrew of all royal titles and order him to leave his 30-room mansion in Windsor.

Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, had accused the then-prince Andrew of sexual assault.

Andrew, who has denied any wrongdoing, paid her a multi-million-pound settlement in 2022 without making any admission of guilt.

His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has also been caught up in the scandal with a series of embarrassing emails. Her charity, "Sarah's Trust", said Tuesday it was now closing down.

US President Donald Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating ties with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities.

Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, will now testify in a US House investigation into Epstein on February 26 and 27.

Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein's activities.

Meanwhile, the European Commission said Tuesday it will look into whether Mandelson, who served as EU trade chief between 2004 and 2008, broke its code of conduct over his Epstein ties.

Mandelson was a back-room architect of Labour's revival as an electoral force in the 1990s under Tony Blair.

K.Tanaka--JT