Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson Appear in London Court to Face Corruption Charges

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U.K. to Charge Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Others in Corruption Probe

Rebekah Brooks Formally Charged in Phone Hacking Scandal

LONDON - Former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks, former News of the World editor Andy Coulson and several others made a brief court appearance here Thursday to formally face corruption charges.

Earlier this month, U.K. prosecutors had said that they had enough evidence in an investigation of illegal payments to public officials to bring criminal charges against at least five people, including the two, two other former top journalists at the U.K. newspaper unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and a public official.

The charges followed a police probe into payments by journalists to officials in exchange for information, such as phone numbers for Britain's Royal Family and news for publication in tabloids.

The defendants will return to court on Dec. 6.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service announced the charges that are a result of what London Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, has called "Operation Elveden." It came in the wake of the long-running phone hacking probe, in which Brooks and Coulson have been key players.

Coulson previously also worked as communications advisor for British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai