U.K. culture secretary Tessa Jowell has been cleared of breaching ministerial code after reports surfaced that her husband had received an improper cash “gift,” which he invested in a hedge fund. Cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell issued a final report Thursday absolving Jowell of complicity in the affair because her husband hadn’t told her about the money.
The amount in question, £350,000 (US$612,300), was allegedly given as a gift to Jowell’s husband, David Mills, in September 2000 by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It has been suggested, The Guardian reports, that the money was a payoff to Mills in exchange for helpful testimony in Berlusconi’s long-running corruption trial. Mills, a corporate lawyer and tax specialist, has lately been on the defensive against several accompanied accusations, including recent charges that he received payments from several companies related to Berlusconi. It is believed that this evidence, compiled with his recent about-face on the explanation for the £350,000 gift, will continue to make life complicated for Mills and his ministerial wife, even after the dismissal of charges.
To add insult to injury, it has also recently become evident, according to The Guardian, that the hedge fund in which Mr. Mills redirected the generous gift – Guernsey-based Centurion Investment Group – has performed no better than a basic savings account. Sometimes you get the bear. Sometimes....