Ethics Newsline®

LONDON
Former British prime minister Tony Blair and several of his political allies last week were cleared in the “Cash for Honors” probe involving the alleged sale of seats in the House of Lords in exchange for political contributions.

The London-based Independent reports that Blair reacted with a mixture of relief and resentment, saying that the investigation had been a “terrible, traumatic time” for people questioned by police.

Blair did not directly criticize police but instead blamed the furor on what he characterized as politically motivated charges brought by an opposing party.

The investigation took over 16 months, cost more than a million dollars, involved about 6,000 documents, and entailed interviews with 136 people, according to the Scotsman.

In the end, the Crown Prosecution Service concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” for the case to go forward, according to a statement on the Service’s website.

Blair and others involved in the case, including his chief fundraiser, Lord Levy, criticized leaks to the media that they claimed were inaccurate and damaging, reports the Times of London.

The Cash for Honors row had been a major factor in the erosion of political support for Blair. The International Herald Tribune notes that Blair, “in one of the most humiliating moments of his decade-long tenure,” was interviewed by police as a witness, though not a suspect, in the case.

Blair was the first sitting British prime minister ever interviewed as part of a criminal investigation.