by havanagilla » Thu Jul 13, 2006 1:53 am
<br>Lord Levy smiling during a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in London last month. (AP)<br> <br> <br><br>Last update - 20:42 12/07/2006 <br> <br> <br>Report:<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/737778.html" target="top"> British Labour Party's</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> chief fundraiser arrested <br> <br>By Assaf Uni, Haaretz Correspondent (in London), and the Associated Press <br> <br>LONDON - The Labour Party's chief fundraiser and Tony Blair's unofficial Middle East envoy, Lord Michael Levy, was arrested Wednesday as part of a police investigation into allegations that the British prime minister improperly nominated the party's financial backers for seats in the House of Lords, the British media reported Wednesday.<br><br>British police confirmed they had arrested a man in the case but would declined to identify him.<br><br>Blair's official spokesman declined to comment on the reported arrest, saying it was an issue for the party, not the government. Levy remains Blair's envoy on Middle Eastern issues, the spokesman said.<br><br><br> <br> <br> Advertisement <br> <br>The Labour Party did not immediately return a call seeking comment.<br><br>Lord Levy is considered one of the most senior members of the British Jewish community. He has worked extensively for many years raising money for Jewish causes and is the president of many Jewish organizations. <br><br>Sources within the Jewish community expressed concern Wednesday that anti-Semitic elements could take advantage of the situation to paint an unflattering image of the Jewish community as a whole. <br><br>Even so, the sources said, Lord Levy is innocent until proven guilty, and the Jewish community would wait to see what happens, and whether Levy is even brought to trial. <br><br> <br> <br> <br> <p></p><i></i>
