Lord Mandelson Denies Recollection of Epstein Payments in Wake of New File Release
Lord Peter Mandelson has stated he does not remember receiving payments totalling 75,000 US dollars from the convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. The peer, who was dismissed as the US ambassador last year due to his connections with Epstein, appears in several bank statements released on Friday as part of a substantial tranche of files related to the disgraced financier by the US government.
Bank Statements Detail Payments to Mandelson and His Husband
One bank statement from May 14, 2003, shows a payment of 25,000 US dollars to the account of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, who is now Lord Mandelson's husband. The statement appears to list "Peter Mandelson" as the beneficiary, with the allocation "BEN" noted next to his name. Two additional statements from May and June 2004 feature further payments of 25,000 dollars each to Lord Mandelson. One payment was directed to an account in his name, while another lists him as a beneficiary. At that time, Lord Mandelson was serving as the Labour MP for Hartlepool.
In response to these revelations, Lord Mandelson told the BBC that he had no recollection of receiving the payments and could not confirm the authenticity of the documents. He emphasised that being mentioned in the Epstein files does not indicate any wrongdoing.
Photographic Evidence and Further Disclosures
Other disclosures from the latest Epstein files include a series of undated photographs depicting a man who appears to be Lord Mandelson. In these images, he is shown standing in his pants and a T-shirt alongside a woman whose face has been obscured. Lord Mandelson addressed these photos, telling the BBC that he "cannot place the location or the woman and I cannot think what the circumstances were."
Additionally, the files suggest that Mr da Silva received thousands of pounds from Epstein to cover a fee for attending the British School of Osteopathy. Lord Mandelson has previously issued an unequivocal apology to Epstein's victims and has insisted he has "nothing more to add" regarding his links to Epstein.
Political Fallout and Calls for Accountability
The peer was removed from his position as ambassador to Washington DC last year after it was revealed he maintained contact with Epstein following the financier's 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution and a minor. On Sunday, Communities Secretary Steve Reed was questioned by Sky News about whether Lord Mandelson should be stripped of his peerage due to his association with Epstein.
Mr Reed responded, "I think before taking any action like that, we need to understand exactly what's happened. You're asking me here about something that happened nearly 20 years ago. I don't know the full detail of it, I wasn't in government 20 years ago. I don't know whether he declared it or not, and he should have done – the declaration rules had been brought in by then – so I think it would be for Peter Mandelson to explain whether or not that money was properly declared, and if not, then he will need to account for that."
