A government official appeared in court today accused of passing information to a journalist from The Sun in return for bribes worth thousands of pounds.
Jonathan Hall, 52, of Grafton Road, Kentish Town, a press officer for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), is alleged to have received £17,475 from the newspaper’s Whitehall editor Clodagh Hartley between March 2008 and July 2011.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today alongside his partner Marta Bukarewicz, 44, also of Grafton Road, who allegedly collected payments, and Ms Hartley, 38, of Manor Avenue, Brockley.
The defendants are each charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
They did not enter pleas and spoke only to confirm their dates of birth and addresses. They were granted unconditional bail by Chief Magistrate Judge Howard Riddle and will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on June 6.
The charges were brought as part of Operation Elveden, Scotland Yard’s investigation into alleged corrupt payments to public officials by journalists.
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