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 dataset 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 and in a relationship with da Silva. The pair married in 2023 after 27 years together.
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].”
An email that was included in the US Department of Justice release of its Jeffrey Epstein files. Photograph: Jon Elswick/AP
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. Epstein responded: “includedd” [sic].
After da Silva sent details about his course, to which Epstein said he would “wire the loan amount”, Mandelson emailed Epstein saying: “Remind him that to avoid a gift-tax filing it must be a loan.”
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].
Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty, in 2008, to a charge of procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18. Photograph: US Justice Department/Reuters
An email from Epstein to Mandelson on 19 July 2009 suggested the financier had met da Silva while serving the last few days of his prison sentence for soliciting prostitution. Epstein had served most of his sentence in a work-release programme that allowed him to leave jail during the day to go to his office, then return at night.
In the email Epstein said: “you didn’t call me ,„ i spent an hour with rinaldo.. call me tomorrow.. at office.”
Mandelson responded: “I was immersed in Afghanistan … thanks for talking to Reinaldo. It did him (therefore me) a lot of good. You now see the problems. I cannot talk to him about these things at all, he won’t listen. I am doing Sunday media then will call. Thanks again xxx.”
Epstein replied: “I as always am there.”
Mandelson said on Friday: “I was wrong to believe Epstein following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.
“I was never culpable or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else I learned the actual truth about him after his death.
“But his victims did know what he was doing, their voices were not heard and I am sorry I was among those who believed him over them.”
Earlier this month, Mandelson apologised for his association with Epstein. The latest batch of documents show Epstein 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.
