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Jeffrey Epstein sent thousands of pounds in bank transfers after his release from prison in 2009 to Peter Mandelson’s husband, according to emails published by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
The latest documents raise fresh questions about Epstein’s relationship with Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to Washington when details of his support for the disgraced financier emerged in September.
The latest data set published on Friday shows that Mandelson’s husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, emailed Epstein on 7 September 2009, about two months after Epstein was released from prison. Epstein had served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender. Mandelson was business secretary at the time.
Da Silva asked Epstein to fund an osteopathy course and other expenses, saying: “I sent you a couple of emails last week regarding my osteo course expenses, incl fee, anatomical models, laptop if you can help me with this. I hope you received them.
“I just managed to speak to the fees office at the osteo school and confirmed that my annual fee is of £3,225 ... They accept bank transfer and the details are as follows.”
Epstein responded later that day and said: “I will wire your loan amount immediated’y [sic].”
The next day, Da Silva emailed Epstein again to ask if a £10,000 payment included his school fees or if that amount had been transferred to the school itself. Esptein responded: “includedd” [sic].
Da Silva emailed Epstein on 17 September and said: “thank you for the money which arrived in my account this morning”.
Da Silva messaged Epstein again in April 2010 and shared his bank details, according to the Financial Times which first reported the allegations. Epstein reportedly forwarded the email to his accountant and said: “send 13k dollars”. He later instructed his accountant to “send 2k per month to reinaldo” [sic].
The Financial Times said a person close to Mandelson had denied the allegations in September after the newspaper was made aware of the claims.
Earlier this month, Mandelson apologised for his association with Epstein. The latest batch of documents show Esptein and Mandelson were in frequent contact, often sending each other short messages about their whereabouts.
Emails released in November by the House oversight committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the US government’s handling of the Epstein case, revealed Mandelson and Epstein were still in contact in 2016.
The Guardian has contacted Mandelson for comment.
