The European Commission said, on Thursday, February 26, that it asked the bloc’s anti-fraud agency to “look into” whether former United Kingdom commissioner Peter Mandelson had violated rules applying to commissioners, after documents showing his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released.

Brussels wants to determine whether the high-profile UK politician breached the code of conduct to which both current and former commissioners are bound, including rules on secrecy and the ban on receiving gifts or favors. Mandelson, 72, is at the centre of a political storm following the publication of troves of documents detailing his relationship with Epstein.

The EU executive made the request to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) “given the circumstances, and the significant amount of documents made available publicly,” a spokesman for the executive said. “As new documents were published recently, we are looking into these and assessing whether there is any breach of the respective obligations,” the spokesman said.

UK investigation into Mandelson

The EU request, first reported by the Financial Times, was sent on February 18. When contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the EU agency only said it had received the request.

Mandelson is also under investigation in Britain over allegations he sent sensitive documents to Epstein during his time as a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash. His links to the financier, who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019, have caused a furore in Britain.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired Mandelson as ambassador to Washington in September, after documents were released showing the extent of his friendship with Epstein.