Jeffrey Archer

He had attended a lunch at a former minister's home when his temporary release had been authorised for more restricted purposes. The Prison Service described the incident as a serious breach of trust. Archer and his associates maintained that he had not understood the lunch was prohibited, and some former prisoners considered the response excessive. The operational finding of a breach and the transfer remain established.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The announced sanction consisted of two weeks without an allowance and two weeks without canteen access, suspended for six months provided that he committed no further disciplinary breach and published no further book while in custody. This episode is separate from the earlier breach of temporary release conditions: it concerns publication of information about fellow prisoners.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Directly implicated

The case concerned a false alibi and falsified diaries used to bolster his account in the Monica Coghlan defamation trial. Further revelations in 1999 led him to withdraw his London mayoral candidacy. In July 2001, the Old Bailey convicted him on four counts and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment; he was acquitted on another count. The 1987, 1999 and 2001 episodes form a single continuous factual case.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Directly implicated

The British Red Cross and forensic accountants examined the financial flows. They found no evidence that Archer had misappropriated funds or acted dishonestly, and the concert proceeds handled by the Red Cross were accounted for. However, investigators criticised the recording or presentation of certain figures and could not verify announced amounts of overseas contributions. The event therefore retains the transparency controversy while emphasising the absence of established misappropriation.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Archer denied any wrongdoing. Following the investigation, the DTI announced that no further action would be taken against those concerned. Archer stated that he had been exonerated. The record retains the public investigation and its favourable outcome and does not present insider dealing as established.

State of the evidence

Documented

Contemporary and retrospective accounts describe him as a victim of the fraud rather than its perpetrator. The losses brought him close to bankruptcy and profoundly affected his political career. The event is retained to provide lifetime coverage, with his victim status explicitly stated.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim