5 Sun Staffers Arrested in UK Bribery Scandal

Police investigate possible payments to police, defense officials
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 11, 2012 7:57 AM CST
5 Sun Staffers Arrested in UK Bribery Scandal
A file photo of a copy of The Sun.   (Getty Images)

Five staff at Britain's largest selling tabloid the Sun were arrested today along with three other people over alleged bribes paid to police and defense officials. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. said in a statement that police had also searched the homes of the five staff and the group's London offices, potentially deepening the scandal over British tabloid wrongdoing. A 39-year-old female employee at Britain's ministry of defense, a 36-year-old male member of the armed forces, and a 39-year-old serving police officer with Surrey Police were among those arrested, police said.

The arrests of the staff at the Sun, purchased by Murdoch in 1969 and long regarded as the jewel in his British media empire, follow the arrests last month of four current and former journalists at the newspaper in connection with the same bribery inquiry. Murdoch closed down the 168-year-old News of The World tabloid in July amid public anger when the extent of its phone hacking was exposed. (More The Sun stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X