18/04/2013

Sun Executive Editor Charged With Payments Offences

The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed Fergus Shanahan, executive editor at the Sun, has been charged with conspiring to commit misconduct in public office.

It is alleged that Shanahan authorised a journalists to make two payments totalling £7,000 to a public official for information, at a time August 2006 and August 2007.

Mr Shanahan, a former deputy editor at the paper, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 8 May.

Alison Levitt, QC, principal legal advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, said: "This announcement relates to a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police Service that was received by the CPS on 4 March 2013.

"Following a careful review of the evidence, we have concluded that Fergus Shanahan, who served as an Editor at the Sun newspaper, should be charged with an offence of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office."

The charges arise from Operation Elveden, which is investigating allegedly inappropriate payments from journalists to public officials.

(H/CD)


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