Police have raided an office at the headquarters of one of the largest unions in the United Kingdom as part of an investigation into charges of bribery, money laundering, and fraud against the organization.

On Wednesday, more than 20 policemen from the South Wales police department showed up at the offices of Unite in Holborn, central London, without warning. A number of goods were taken away by the police, including papers, notebooks, and a computer.



HM Revenue and Customs and the South Wales Police conducted a joint investigation into the raid as part of their joint investigation. Officers also carried out warrant executions in the police districts of South Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Dyfed-Powys, and Northamptonshire.

“A Unite employee is the subject of a criminal investigation by the police,” a representative for the union stated. The police executed a search warrant at Unite HQ in Holborn, London, on Wednesday, April 6th, and gained entry to and searched an employee’s office.”

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Union Unite was the most significant donor to Labour throughout Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as the party’s leader. In December, the organization’s new general secretary, Sharon Graham, stated that the organization intended to reduce payments to Labour and redirect the funds to union campaigns instead.

Graham, who was elected to the position in August, has initiated an investigation into how the construction expenses of a hotel and conference center in Birmingham ballooned to the point that the union suffered a “possibly considerable loss.”

The initial estimated cost of the 170-room complex was £57 million, but the final cost skyrocketed to £98 million, according to Unite, which attributed the increase to the need to protect labour standards on the premises.

“South Wales police have executed warrants as part of an investigation into claims of bribery, fraud, and money laundering,” stated a police spokesperson. The warrants were served on Wednesday, April 6, at various locations in the South Wales, Metropolitan, Merseyside, Cheshire, north Wales, Dyfed Powys, and Northamptonshire police force districts, according to the police department.



According to the statement, “the combined investigation with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is still ongoing, and a number of suspects will be interrogated in due course.”