The UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has found no grounds to open a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his links with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri while he served as Mayor of London, according to domestic media reports on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2020) The UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has found no grounds to open a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his links with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri while he served as Mayor of London, according to domestic media reports on Thursday.
The Guardian newspaper reported that the verdict was reached after an eight-month exercise to assess whether Johnson should face charges after allegations that the prime minister gave the businesswoman tens of thousands of Dollars in public funds and access to trade trips while he was mayor from 2008 to 2016.
Despite the verdict, the London Assembly, an elected body that scrutinizes mayoral activity, said that it will continue its investigation into Johnson's conduct.
"The IOPC was looking specifically at whether he committed a criminal offence. That's not our remit and their decision doesn't have any real bearing on our investigation, which will focus on his conduct as Mayor of London," Len Duvall, the Greater London Authority Oversight Committee chair said, as quoted by the newspaper.
As mayor, Johnson also intervened to allow Arcuri to travel on trade missions to New York City and Tel Aviv, according to the newspaper.
The prime minister has previously denied any wrongdoing and the IOPC has stated that it received no pressure from the government to decide in Johnson's favor, the newspaper stated.
Arcuri is the CEO and founder of Hacker House, a service that provides cybersecurity training for businesses.
