Liverpool mayor is out on bail after being arrested in bribery investigation

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has been released on bail after being arrested by detectives investigating allegations of bribery and witness intimidation. The allegations are linked to building deals in the city. Anderson was arrested with four other people.

Conditional bail

Merseyside Police said in a statement on Saturday 5 December:

We can confirm that five people arrested in connection with offences of bribery and witness intimidation as part of an investigation on into building and development contracts in Liverpool have been released on conditional bail, pending further inquiries.

Anderson, 62, who lives in the Old Swan district of the city, was arrested on 4 December and taken to a police station for questioning. Sources later confirmed that Anderson had been suspended from the Labour Party following his arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

The other suspects were a 33-year-old man from West Derby, Liverpool, and a 46-year-old man from Ainsdale. They were also held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. Furthermore, a 25-year-old man from Ormskirk and a 72-year-old man from Aigburth, in Liverpool, were detained on suspicion of witness intimidation.

Co-operation

Liverpool City Council said in a statement on 4 October that it was co-operating with Merseyside Police “in relation to its ongoing investigation”. But the council wouldn’t comment on “matters relating to individuals”.

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Anderson was elected mayor of Liverpool in 2012, having been on the council since 1998.

Anderson is the mayor of the city of Liverpool. He stood to become the Labour candidate for metro mayor of the broader Liverpool City Region in 2016, but was beaten by the then Walton MP Steve Rotheram, who currently holds the post.