- Lord Peter Mandelson allegedly received $75,000 from Jeffrey Epstein between 2003 and 2004
- Epstein made three payments totaling $25,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson and his partner
- Photos of Mandelson in underwear with an unidentified woman were revealed in Epstein files
A former British ambassador to the US allegedly received $75,000 (Rs 68.7 lakh approximately) from late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, new documents released by the US Justice Department suggest. Lord Peter Mandelson, who was with the UK's ruling Labour Party, has now resigned following outrage over his links to the late financier.
Between 2003 and 2004, Epstein appears to have sent three separate payments, amounting to $25,000, to accounts connected to Mandelson.
Images of the former UK ambassador in his underwear have also been revealed in the latest tranche of the Epstein Files. In a redacted picture, Mandelson is seen standing next to a female, whose face is obscured. It is not known when and where the photos were taken. The 72-year-old politician has said that he "cannot place the location or the woman and I cannot think what the circumstances were" the BBC reported.
Money Sent From Epstein To Ex-UK Ambassador
The first transaction, in May 2003, was sent to a Barclays account held by Mandelson's partner, Reinaldo da Silva, naming the ex-Labour politician as “BEN”, usually short for beneficiary, of the funds, the Financial Times reported.
The second and third transactions listed in the files were sent to HSBC accounts linked only to Mandelson. It is unclear if the money ever made it to the mentioned accounts. Separately, emails documenting payments of thousands of pounds by Epstein to da Silva in 2009-2010 were revealed in the documents.
Emails in the Epstein files also show that Mandelson attempted to change government policy regarding a planned tax on bankers' bonuses, while he was business secretary in Gordon Brown's government, following requests from the disgraced financier.
Previous data releases revealed that Mandelson took two flights, worth a total of $7,486 (Rs 6.85 lakh), at Epstein's expense in 2003, while he was an MP. He did not disclose either of the journeys in the House of Commons' register of interests.
In one email from November 2010 Mandelson called the disgraced financier “my chief life adviser”.
Peter Mandelson Resigns From Labour
In a letter to Labour general secretary, Mandelson said that he felt “regretful and sorry” about the outrage over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The former cabinet minister had earlier said on Sunday that he did not know if the released documents were authentic, the BBC reported.
“Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me,” Mandelson said in his letter. He also tendered his resignation from Labour to avoid “further embarrassment” to the party.
The ex-Labour politician was sacked as the UK ambassador to the US last year over his ties to Epstein.
Mandelson once again expressed his regret for "ever having known Epstein" and for continuing his association with the disgraced financier following Epstein's conviction. He apologised "unequivocally to the women and girls who suffered".
Mandelson has a long history with the Labour Party. His grandfather, Herbert Morrison, was a cabinet minister in Clement Attlee's government in 1945. Mandelson started working for Labour in the 1980s.
