Recently disgraced former Labour cabinet minister Lord Peter Mandelson is expected to face a full criminal investigation over allegations that he leaked sensitive government information to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving in office, according to reports.
Scotland Yard is preparing to formally escalate its inquiry after documents released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show that Mandelson shared market-sensitive details from inside Downing Street with Epstein in 2009, when Mandelson was serving as business secretary.
The information was reportedly restricted to a small group of senior officials at the highest levels of government.
A government source told The Times that Metropolitan Police detectives are expected to interview Mandelson as part of the investigation. Officers are also expected to take witness statements from other senior Labour figures, including former prime minister Gordon Brown. Investigators are further expected to request unredacted copies of emails from the US Department of Justice as part of the probe.
The development comes less than 24 hours after Scotland Yard confirmed it was reviewing the allegations. That review has now advanced following a referral from the Cabinet Office, which reportedly told police that the emails in question may constitute criminal conduct.
Mandelson is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a serious offence that carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment. For prosecutors to secure a conviction, they would need to prove that Mandelson deliberately disclosed sensitive government information, knowing it was wrong to do so, or that he acted with reckless indifference.
The documents released by US authorities indicate that Epstein received details of internal government discussions on at least four separate occasions. Those discussions were said to involve information that could have affected financial markets if disclosed publicly.
Scotland Yard is preparing to formally escalate its inquiry after documents released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show that Mandelson shared market-sensitive details from inside Downing Street with Epstein in 2009, when Mandelson was serving as business secretary.
The information was reportedly restricted to a small group of senior officials at the highest levels of government.
A government source told The Times that Metropolitan Police detectives are expected to interview Mandelson as part of the investigation. Officers are also expected to take witness statements from other senior Labour figures, including former prime minister Gordon Brown. Investigators are further expected to request unredacted copies of emails from the US Department of Justice as part of the probe.
The development comes less than 24 hours after Scotland Yard confirmed it was reviewing the allegations. That review has now advanced following a referral from the Cabinet Office, which reportedly told police that the emails in question may constitute criminal conduct.
Mandelson is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a serious offence that carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment. For prosecutors to secure a conviction, they would need to prove that Mandelson deliberately disclosed sensitive government information, knowing it was wrong to do so, or that he acted with reckless indifference.
The documents released by US authorities indicate that Epstein received details of internal government discussions on at least four separate occasions. Those discussions were said to involve information that could have affected financial markets if disclosed publicly.
