Met Police Hand "Cash for Honours" File Over To CPS

The Met Police have handed the "Cash for Honours" file over to the CPS to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to proceed.

A 216-page file was handed over by detectives from the Metropolitan Police to the CPS on Friday. Prosecutors will decide whether anyone should be charged over claims that honours were given in return for money

Although the police file amounts to an exoneration for Blair, confirming he will not be charged, the conclusions on Levy and Turner bring the affair close to his door. As would be expected, Levy, Turner and Evans all deny any wrongdoing.

It now appears the decision on whether anyone will face trial over the cash for honours scandal will be made before Tony Blair leaves office. Legal sources said they expected a decision in June on whether three key figures, fundraiser Lord Levy, Downing Street director of government relations Ruth Turner, and donor Sir Christopher Evans, should be formally charged.

A spokesman for Evans said last night: 'In the 2004-2005 discussions about giving a loan to the Labour Party, Sir Christopher is adamant that at no stage were there any talks about a peerage in relation to money.' Evans has repeatedly insisted he was never promised anything by Levy in return for giving money, but admitted earlier this year that the peer had often suggested over the years that he deserved an honour. Of course the two weren't connected. They just happened to be discussed during in same conversation at the same time but one clearly did not influence the other. Not very believable Mr. Evans.

As far as Ruth Turner goes its quite obvious she helped "cover up" the selling of honours at Levy's encouragement however the real culprit here is Lord "Cashpoint" Levy himself. Levy orchestrated and arranged the entire "loan scheme" (which I might add Blair went along with), then promptly pushed Blair to recommend the donors or "lenders" for honours. When challenged Levy conspired to cover the entire fiasco up.

Although it appears Blair is in the clear a decision to charge Ms Turner or Lord Levy would be "disastrous" for the prime minister, particularly if it was announced before he leaves office as expected later this year.

Labour sleaze strikes again. Surprising? No. What will be surprising is if Levy actually gets what he deserves and the case moves forward to trial.