Posted on 01/19/2007 3:28:57 PM PST by SauronOfMordor
LONDON: The police on Friday arrested and questioned a senior aide to Prime Minister Tony Blair in a widening inquiry into allegations that political leaders in both parties traded high honors for campaign contributions made as loans.
The arrested official, Ruth Turner, director of government relations at Blair's office at 10 Downing Street, denied wrongdoing. "I absolutely refute any allegations of wrongdoing of any nature whatsoever," she said in a statement.
At the same time, Blair said he had "complete confidence" in Turner, 36, who was appointed as a special adviser to the prime minister in 2005. Turner's job ranks her among the officials who play a role in controlling access to Blair.
The Blair said in a statement: "Ruth is a person of the highest integrity for whom I have great regard."
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
This has been an ongoing controversy for some time....
This govt is up to its neck in **** as far as this scandal goes.
Sounds like politics as usual in most of the civilized world
Well, political opponents usually accuse each other of illegal acts.
But when the police come around and actually start making arrests, then it's a different sort of thing.
You mean like scooter libby? :-)
ALL governments are up to their necks in **** as far as this type of thing goes.
Another story from The Financial Times
Turner arrest brings probe closer to Blair
By Jean Eaglesham and Christopher AdamsPublished: January 19 2007 20:35 | Last updated: January 19 2007 20:35
The arrest of Ruth Turner, one of Tony Blair’s inner circle of advisers, at dawn on Friday underscores the extent to which the cash-for-honours inquiry appears to be homing in on him.
Mr Blair last month became the first serving prime minister to be questioned by police as part of a criminal investigation. Ms Turner has become the first salaried government official to be arrested in the inquiry.
The speed with which Mr Blair defended Ms Turner contrasted with his silence when various Labour donors and supporters had been questioned and might reflect her central role in his team.
...
Ms Turner, 36, has kept a deliberately low profile since she succeeded Anji Hunter and Baroness Morgan in May 2005. But she is one of a trio – with Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair’s chief of staff, and David Hill, his head of media relations – who act as his closest advisers.
The nature of her role, which involved liaising with Labour supporters and handling peerage nominations, puts her squarely in the focus of the police inquiries into allegations the government used honours to reward businessmen who gave Labour multi-million pound loans.
Apologyzing in advance!
I thought severe campaign finance restrictions in Britain made this sort of thing impossible.
And I am being a bit sarcastic, but not totally.
There is no proof of any wrongdoing, although the circumstances are dubious.
The police in this case have acted disgracefully by sending 4 officers round at 6 30 in the morning to arrest a high ranking political advisor to the PM. It was mishandled as has most of this shambles be.
They are on the defensive, and likely this move was to buy time as were due to report to the CPS at the end of this month, but this new charged of perverting the course of justice will give them longer, which tells me they are on to a loser.
They are moaning about rather tame comments of former/government ministers who have criticised this latest devlopment, yet the suspended parliamentary investigation committe was allowed to ask them to virtually sex up a letter containing an update into the investigation. They had nothing to say then, and it now seems more and more that this is a witch hunt.
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