British police arrest former co-op bank chairman in drugs investigation

British police arrest former co-op bank chairman in drugs investigation

LONDON - British police have arrested the former chairman of the Co-operative bank as part of an investigation into the supply of illegal drugs after a newspaper published a video apparently showing the man arranging to buy crack cocaine and crystal meth.

Prime Minister David Cameron has questioned why Paul Flowers, a one-time local Labour politician and Methodist preacher with no banking qualifications, was judged suitable for the role of chairman of the bank.

Police said a 63-year-old man was arrested in the Merseyside area of northern England late on Thursday. "He has been taken to a police station in West Yorkshire where detectives will continue their enquiries," police said in a statement.

Flowers, 63, has not directly addressed the allegations of drug use, though he said in a statement on Sunday that he has had a difficult year and apologised for doing sometimes stupid things.

He could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.