Overview
- The European Commission asked OLAF on February 18 to look into Peter Mandelson’s conduct as a former commissioner, and OLAF says it is examining the referral without confirming a formal investigation.
- London’s Metropolitan Police arrested Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released him on bail, with his lawyers saying he is cooperating and denying criminal wrongdoing.
- Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice appear to show Mandelson giving Jeffrey Epstein advance notice of a €500 billion euro bailout in May 2010.
- Britain’s Intelligence and Security Committee agreed a framework with the government and police for publishing vetting material related to Mandelson’s 2024 ambassadorship, with the ISC retaining final say and a first tranche due in early March.
- An internal audit at Global Counsel, the firm Mandelson founded, reportedly found a significant tranche of his business emails missing, and administrators now hold the company’s electronic records.