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Documents recently made public by the US Department of Justice reveal that in 2009, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein transferred £10,000 to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the partner of British politician Peter Mandelson. An email from da Silva to Epstein detailed the expenses for an osteopathy course, included his bank information, and expressed gratitude for any financial assistance Epstein could provide. Epstein responded promptly, assuring da Silva that the loan amount would be wired immediately. The following day, da Silva confirmed receipt of the funds with a note of thanks.
Lord Mandelson, who has been active in British politics since the 1980s and held ministerial positions during Labour governments between 1997 and 2010, was serving as business secretary and the de facto deputy prime minister under Gordon Brown at the time of the transaction. When questioned about his connection with Epstein, Mandelson stated he had been “very clear” about their relationship during interviews with the BBC and declined to add further comments. Previously, on 11 January, Mandelson had described his association with Epstein as a “most terrible mistake.”
The documents form part of a vast release comprising three million pages of files relating to Epstein’s activities. These records include email exchanges that illustrate the closeness of the relationship between Mandelson and Epstein. For instance, in June 2009, Mandelson wrote to Epstein asking if he could stay at his residence over a weekend. Epstein seemed eager to host Mandelson despite not being available himself, indicating a level of personal acquaintance. Additional reports had previously suggested that Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s New York apartment during that year.
Despite this, there is no implication of wrongdoing on the part of da Silva, who married Mandelson in 2023. Mandelson admitted to the BBC that he made the error of continuing a relationship with Epstein even after his conviction, apologizing unequivocally to Epstein’s victims. He stressed that he was neither culpable nor complicit in Epstein’s crimes and expressed regret that the victims’ voices were not heeded. In late 2024, Mandelson was appointed as the UK’s ambassador to the US, but less than a year later he was dismissed after it became public that he had sent supportive messages to Epstein post-conviction. Although the UK government was aware of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein when making the ambassadorial appointment, newly disclosed information about the relationship’s extent led to his removal. Epstein died in 2019 while in a New York jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges
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