On Blair's Last Day Met Police Fly Courtney Coventry to London to take Statement In Cash for Honours Scandal

On Blair's last full day in office the Met Police attempted to secretly fly the Beautiful American girl Courtney Coventry into London to take her statement in the Cash for Honours Inquiry.

From the Sun:

"A STUNNING American was flown by cops to Britain yesterday to be quizzed in the cash for honours probe. Californian actress Courtney Coventry, 25, was grilled over her links to Labour’s chief fundraiser Lord Levy. Lord Levy introduced Courtney to Tony Blair and Labour’s high command at a swanky fundraising bash.They were invited for tea at No10 the next day and taken on a tour of the House of Commons and House of Lords where Lord Levy — dubbed Lord Cashpoint — wooed them.

Courtney flew to Heathrow yesterday morning( flights arranged by the met police at the expense of the British taxpayer) from Nice to meet cops investigating allegations peerages were awarded for £14million in cash loans used to fund Labour’s 2005 general election campaign.She was met from her British Airways flight at the arrivals lounge in Terminal 1 and whisked away in an unmarked car.

Courtney, wearing a calf- length emerald green dress with plunging neckline, covered her face when The Sun asked her what help she could be to the police. Her reply was: “No comment”. She was hustled away clutching her Louis Vuitton handbag by a plain clothes woman officer with two uniformed cops in tow.

The actress was driven to the Hilton Hotel in Green Park, around the corner from the chain’s flagship Park Lane Hotel — where she was photographed with Mr Blair three years ago at the gala for rich donors. Later last night, Courtney told The Sun at the hotel: “I have spoken to the police. They flew me in. I cannot say anything else.” Asked if she had been of use to the inquiry, she replied: “That’s up to them to determine.”

The Met refused to discuss her interview yesterday. "There was no intention to cause the Prime Minister any embarrassment on his last day."

The mail apparently was given a different comment by the police. According to the mail the police source said: "We spoke to her in person but we decided she did not have anything of interest to say so she was not formally interviewed. In effect, she was time wasting."

So let me get this correct. The police fly her to London, meet her at Heathrow and give her a police escort and driver to her hotel with no knowledge of what she was going to tell them? From the sound of it they attempted to secretly bring her into the country to formally take her statement and have her out again before anyone was the wiser but it didn't quite work out that way. From the photos in the Sun in seems the press were not only at the airport waiting but also sitting outside her hotel room. Far more likely is that the police panicked when they saw the press as they have done everything in their power to keep the details of the case and witnesses underwraps. It was a nice try but I don't think anyone would believe they had no idea what she was going to say. I would bet money that they knew exactly what she was going to say , had evidence to corroborate it and that it was very damning. Otherwise why go to the trouble and expense to fly her into the country? I am certain that we will find she is interviewed but without the knowledge of the press. If not and the police are giving away free flights and drivers if you call and say I have information on xyz I'm sure there will be a line around the block and a lot of angry taxpayers.

"They did not intend to cause Blair any embarrassment on his last day in office" - Of course they didn't as nobody was supposed to know she was there.

"Further Inquiries" Demanded in Cash for Honours Scandal

Despite receiving a 216 page file from Scotland Yard, the Crown Prosecution Service has demanded additional evidence from the police and that they "undertake further inquiries" before deciding whether there should be criminal charges in the cash for honours investigation. It appears Prime Minister Blair may be interviewed by the police for a third time. This time however, it is highly possible that he will be interviewed under caution as detectives were ordered to again question the key players .

Although thus far Blair has only been interviewed as a witness, he was the first Prime Minister ever to be questioned by the police as part of a continuing criminal investigation. Once he leaves Downing Street at the end of the June if he is interviewed it could take place under caution, technically making him a suspect.

There were 2 comments left last week in the Herald relating to Cash for Honours which I posted previously. If you didn't get a chance to read them you may find them interesting. Whether they are accurate or not I don't know but in light of the CPS demanding further investigation it makes you think. Click HERE for the post and to read the comments.

Are Likely Charges in the "Cash for Honours" Scandal the Real Reason Levy is Standing Down?

I was reading the morning papers and came across this in The Herald... Interesting. The girl they are referring to, Courtney Coventry, is the one pictured with Blair in the Mail Article in March.

Posted by: Barry on 7:08am today
Lord Levy, a major contributor to labour sleaze, will be finally leaving! Was it "Anticipated?" - Only because CPS will likely be charging him in the Cash for honours scandal, especially as the American woman has implicated him to directly to police. Apparently, Levy bluntly offerred to arrange a peerage for her British husband for a large donation to the party. So much for Levy denying any wrongdoing.
Lord Levy, a major contributor to labour sleaze, will be finally leaving! Was it "Anticipated?" - Only because CPS will likely be charging him in the Cash for honours scandal, especially as the American woman has implicated him to directly to police. Apparently, Levy bluntly offerred to arrange a peerage for her British husband for a large donation to the party. So much for Levy denying any wrongdoing.

Posted by: diana, london on 7:52am today
Referring to Barry's comment about an American girl, her name is Courtney Coventry. A good friend of mine worked on the Cash for Honours inquiry and she said Courtney Coventry (who is american) contacted them via email with a very damaging statement (and documents to support it) about Lord Levy which would on its own justify charges to be brought against him.
Referring to Barry's comment about an American girl, her name is Courtney Coventry. A good friend of mine worked on the Cash for Honours inquiry and she said Courtney Coventry (who is american) contacted them via email with a very damaging statement (and documents to support it) about Lord Levy which would on its own justify charges to be brought against him.

Lord "Cashpoint" Levy Announces He Will Stand Down as Middle East Envoy

Lord Levy announced that he will step down as Middle East Envoy when Blair leaves office in June. Downing Street thanked him for his role and said the PM "believes, and has always said, that Lord levy has done an excellent job as his personal envoy." After the recent inquiry it is not surprising that they failed to thank Levy for his work as chief fundraiser as well.

Levy, also know as Lord Cashpoint after being arrested in recent months by police investigating cash for honours, claimed his departure "has always been anticipated and is not different to many other similar positions."

Lord Levy was arrested on suspicion of possible infringements of honours and election laws in July 2006, and, six months later, arrested again on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. His arrests came during a year-long inquiry into allegations that honours had been sold.

The Crown Prosecution Service was given a 216-page report by Police in April. PM Blair was among 136 people interviewed by Scotland Yard . All parties questioned thus far deny any wrongdoing.

Simply because Lord Levy repeats over and over again that he "denies any wrongdoing" does not make it any more believable. Levy was a strong contributor to the years of Labour Sleaze who,along with Blair, is finally on his way out. Too bad we still have to suffer with the rest of them.

Cash For Access Memo Leaked Days After CPS is Handed 216 Page Cash for Honours File

A strategy to "sell" Downing Street access to wealthy party donors from the very beginning of the Blair years has been uncovered. A leaked internal memo places Tony Blair, his chief of staff Jonathan Powell and Labour's leading fundraiser Lord Levy at the centre of a "cash-for-access" policy to raise millions.

This leak comes days after police handed over a 216-page file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which is now deciding whether to press criminal charges over the cash-for-honours affair. The document was written by Amanda Delew, the former head of the High Value Fundraising Unit at Labour HQ, shortly after the party swept to power in 1997. It proposes that the prospect of access to Number 10 and Tony Blair could help raise more than £15million for party funds. The paper insists the Prime Minister 'must continue to have private meetings' with some donors while others 'would expect to be invited' to Downing Street.

A Labour spokesman insisted last night that the document was discarded before it reached
senior members of the party and that "no one who gave money to the party is given preferential treatment and no one can buy access to Downing Street".

But Angus MacNeil, the Scottish Nationalist MP who triggered the cash for honours police investigation, said: "This document is symptomatic of New Labour and its obsession with the rich and wealthy. It is not to me, or any other politician, they must answer. It is to the highest court in the land."

Lord Goldsmith , a Labour minister who once gave money to the party and who owes his job to Tony Blair, could end up making the final decision on whether charges are brought. Complaints have been made that the Attorney General is politically compromises however Lord Goldsmith insisted he would judge the case for a prosecution "objectively, on the evidence, independently from Government".

Opposition MPs questioned his impartiality. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "He is a politician and he is a peer - he was made a peer by Tony Blair. None of that is wrong but he should not be involved in this decision. It should be made independently by a members of the Crown Prosecution Service."


Yes, the decision should be made independently however I am certain that Mr. Blair will use all methods of persuasion available to him to encourage Lord Goldsmith to put a stop the the prosecution despite the fact sources close to the inquiry have described the police file as "very robust". If charges are brought, Mr Blair, who was interviewed twice by detectives, could be called to give evidence in court. That alone gives Blair motivation to pressure Lord Goldsmith.

It is quite obvious that honours were sold for donations to the party and even more obvious Levy tried to cover this up. The only remaining question is will Mr Blair's influence stop it from going to trial?

Lord Cashpoint Strikes again!! New victim Courtney Coventry

I read the article about Courtney Coventry in Mail yesterday. The scandals never cease to amaze me. The Mail seems to be attacking Courtney and her husband when they should be attacking Lord Levy and Tony Blair. From the sound of it Courtney Coventry was simply attempting to expose how corrupt Lord Cashpoint is. The smile on sleazy Levy's face was bigger than usual.... I bet it was Tony Blair's smile is pretty big too(see the picture we found) , she is gorgeous!! In that picture he looks like he's going to get a cramp in his face he is smiling so hard. I bet she had no idea what she was walking into, a twenty year old from America versus a old sleaze like Levy who has been squeezing money from people's bank accounts his entire life! I think we should thank the girl and I wish more people would speak honestly about Levy and the many ways he squeezes cash out of people... cash for honours ring a bell, tennis with tony?

Lord Sleazy Levy Demands Aide to Lie in "Cash for Honours" Scandal

Labour fundraiser Lord Levy (or Lord Cashpoint as he is commonly referred to) was accused of ‘bullying’ one of the Prime Minister’s top aides, Ruth Turner. It seems Ms. Turner was so concerned over a meeting last summer she went so far as to put her fears in writing. Unfortunately for labour and Sleazy Levy in particular, this document reached the police and has caused quite a stir. It was described how the meeting, which occurred around the first time Lord Levy was arrested, left her shaken and in tears. Ms. Turner, one of Blair's closest aides later went so far as to say Levy asked her to lie in the "cash for honours" investigation. "There is a document addressed to Johnathan Powell in the course of which she (Ruth Turner) alledges that Lord Levy had asked her to lie for him"

This man is despicable. Harrasing and bullying a, from all accounts, a well liked honest woman into lying for him. Does he know no shame? His nicknames... Sleazy Levy, Lord Cashpoint, how appropriate. I bet there are a lot more people involved that he has "bullied" and threatened into staying silent!