VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has formally revoked a national honour awarded to Britain’s former US ambassador Peter Mandelson following controversy over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A notice in the Government Gazette confirmed that Mandelson’s appointment as honorary officer of the National Order of Merit, granted in 2016, has been terminated.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 23(2)(c) of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act, it is notified that the honorary appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson to the National Order of Merit has been terminated,” the notice read.
The clause empowers the president, acting on the prime minister’s advice and in consultation with the opposition leader, to revoke honours where conduct is deemed unworthy.
The decision followed calls by political party Momentum for the title to be withdrawn.
Malta’s National Order of Merit forms part of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika honours system, recognising exceptional service by citizens and foreign nationals across four grades.
Mandelson, a former Labour MP and key architect of New Labour, was honoured for his work as EU Commissioner for Trade, including negotiating bilateral agreements seen as beneficial to Malta.
He had been praised for supporting Malta’s European ambitions and its development as a trading nation and financial hub.
However, Mandelson has faced mounting scrutiny over his association with Epstein.
Court documents show he was mentioned multiple times in the so-called Epstein files, including in emails discussing cabinet matters. Records also indicate Epstein transferred $75,000 into accounts linked to Mandelson and sent £10,000 to his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
Photographs of Mandelson in a bathrobe and underwear were also reportedly found among the files.
The controversy has triggered political fallout in the UK, particularly for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who appointed Mandelson ambassador to Washington despite his past association with Epstein after the financier’s conviction.
Mandelson has since resigned from the House of Lords, been dismissed as ambassador to the United States, and is under investigation by UK police.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
