Peter Mandelson could lose his £31,000-a-year EU pension over allegations that he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein. The European Commission has now referred Lord Mandelson to fraud investigators over allegations he gave the American financier and sex offender advance notice of the EU’s €500billion bailout to Greece.
It means he could lose the generous EU pension he receives after serving just four years as an EU commissioner from 2004-08. The 72-year-old has been entitled to the payments since turning 65 in 2018. But EU pensions are linked to good behaviour clauses, which apply “both during and after their term of office”, meaning they can be removed.
An EU spokesman said the Commission had asked the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) to look into documents released as part of the Epstein files, Politico reports. They appear to show that Lord Mandelson gave Epstein advance notice of the EU’s €500billion bailout to Greece, agreed in 2010 while the peer was business secretary in the Labour UK Government led by Gordon Brown.
Lord Mandelson was arrested by the Metropolitan Police earlier this week on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
An European Commission spokesman told Politico: “Given the circumstances, and the significant amount of documents made available publicly, the European Commission also asked Olaf on February 18 to look into the matter.”
Lord Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will not be able to overrule Parliament’s security watchdog on whether documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington can be published, the Government has confirmed.
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said officials had confirmed “in writing” that it would have the final say on which papers would be released following a meeting on Thursday.
Ensure our latest politics headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
MPs have ordered the Government to release a huge quantity of documents relating to the appointment following questions about the peer’s vetting and his links to Epstein.
Some of the thousands of documents are expected to be withheld for national security reasons, but it will be up to the ISC, rather than ministers, to determine which items should be redacted.
In a statement, the ISC said it had met Cabinet Office officials on Thursday morning.
It said: “Following this morning’s meeting, officials have now confirmed in writing to the committee that the decision as to whether material referred to the ISC is published is for the committee alone.
“The Prime Minister – or anyone else in Government – will not be able to overrule the committee’s decision to publish material that has been referred to it.”
Source link
