Corruption enquiry widens to more UK newspapers

(The Guardian): The Scotland Yard investigation into alleged illegal payments by journalists to police and other public officials has been extended to Trinity Mirror and Richard Desmond's Express Newspapers, the Leveson inquiry has heard.  Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, who is leading the Metropolitan police investigations into alleged illegal activity by journalists, said Operation Elveden, the probe into corruption, had gone beyond Rupert Murdoch's News International to include payments from other newspapers. In one case a prison officer at a high security prison, who has now retired, had allegedly received payments from News International, Trinity Mirror and Express Newspapers totalling nearly £35,000, Akers told the Leveson inquiry on Monday.

She said the public official's former partner appeared to have facilitated the payments into their bank accounts, receiving "numerous payments" from NI, Trinity Mirror and Express Newspapers between April 2010 and June 2011.

She said further payments had been made after the official had retired, the last of which was by Express Newspapers in February 2012.