British detectives on Saturday searched the offices of News Corp founder and chief executive Rupert Murdoch’s the Sun and arrested four journalists and a policeman in a widening probe into the bribing of police for information.
The development finally drags Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper into the turmoil at Murdoch’s empire, after its stablemate the News of the World was shut down in disgrace in July last year amid a scandal over phone hacking.
Police said they made the arrests after information was provided to police by News Corp — in what commentators said was a clear effort by the company to detoxify the brand.
The BBC and the Guardian newspaper named the arrested Sun journalists as former deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, former managing editor Graham Dudman, crime editor Mike Sullivan and head of news Chris Pharo.
In an e-mail to staff, Tom Mockridge, the chief executive of Murdoch’s British subsidiary, News International, said on Saturday the company had provided legal support to the arrested men.
“Despite this very difficult news, we are determined that News International will emerge a stronger and more trusted organization,” Mockridge wrote in the e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by the Guardian. “We must all support Dominic [Mohan, the editor of the Sun,] who will be leading his staff to deliver, as always, a great paper for Monday and going forward.”
Scotland Yard said it had arrested two men aged 49 and 57 in dawn raids at their homes in Essex, east of London, and a man aged 48 at his home in the capital.
A 42-year-old man was later arrested after reporting at a police station.
They were held on suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both these offenses.
A 29-year-old from the force’s Territorial Policing command was arrested at the London police station where he works on suspicion of corruption, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy. All five were granted bail late on Saturday.
A police statement released earlier said: “The home addresses of those arrested are currently being searched and officers are also carrying out a number of searches at the offices of News International in Wapping, East London. Today’s operation is the result of information provided to police by News Corporation’s Management and Standards Committee. It relates to suspected payments to police officers.”
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