The Italian Job

The Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell ( that means she was made a Privy Councillor (in 1998)) and David Mills married in 1979 and bought their house in Kentish Town, N. London, .... cash.

On Sept 27, 2000, the couple took out a mortgage on the property with S G Hambros Bank and Trust Ltd.

They paid off this mortgage of £408,000 on December 1, 2000.(9 weeks later). It would be entirely improper to suggest that, though this is a method used to launder funds, that this was the reason for this short term loan secured on the couple's house.

The Home Office in a statement it said: "In late 2004, the Serious Fraud Office received a request from the Milan Prosecutor for legal advice about the circumstances in which David Mills could be extradited under UK law, based upon possible charges against him."

"The request was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, who took legal advice which was passed by the Home Office to the Italian Embassy in May 2005, since extradition requests are normally handled on diplomatic channels.

Blair makes masonic signal to Berlusconi.

Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, is quoted in the Times Online saying: "The allegations of the Italian prosecution are completely untrue.

"The fact is that there is a well established extradition procedure which operates with Italy as with other countries and we would follow all normal procedures.

"No request for extradition has come from Italy at this stage and hasn’t done at any previous stage - but the fact is that the allegations that we’ve been in any sense un-co-operative are completely false."

Dame Barbara Mills, DBE, QC is The Adjudicator for the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise, having been from 1992 to 1998, the Director of Public Prosecutions. As Director of the Serious Fraud Office Dame Barbara dealt with the BCCI case. In 1986 she was a DTI inspector under the Financial Services Act and has been a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, a Legal Assessor to the General Medical Council and a member of the Parole Board amongst others. She is David Mills's sister in law.

It would be outrageous and improper, a scandalum magnatum, to suggest that such family ties would in any way affect the conduct of inter governmental affairs.