What is misconduct in public office? What does it mean - as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested at Sandringham Estate
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Thames Valley Police said.
Police have arrived at the home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on the Sandringham Estate. Pictures circulating online appear to show unmarked police cars attending Wood Farm in Norfolk on Thursday, with plain-clothed officers appearing to gather outside the property.
Misconduct in a public office refers to "serious wilful abuse or neglect" of powers relating to the role in public office, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Joshua Rozenberg, a legal commentator, told Sky News that it is an "unusual" offence "because it's one created by the judges, laid down by the courts over many years".
He added: "For that reason, there isn't actually a maximum penalty at all. It's life imprisonment because parliament has never actually set a maximum." Due to the "complicated" nature of the offence, Mr Rozenberg said the government is trying to replace it with a new law, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, which is currently going through parliament.
Part of the bill covers misconduct in public office, stating that a person commits an offence if they use "their office to obtain a benefit, whether for themselves or somebody else, or to cause somebody else to suffer a detriment". Thames Valley Police said earlier in February they were looking at allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor had passed confidential government documents to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to recently released files.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice earlier this month appear to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore. One email, dated November 2010, was forwarded by Andrew just five minutes after being sent by his then-special adviser, Amir Patel.
Additionally, on Christmas Eve 2010, Andrew looped Epstein in on a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Epstein had been convicted of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 in 2008.
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets his friendship with Epstein, but he has not responded to specific requests for comment after the latest files were published by the U.S. government.