Detectives said a 72-year-old man, from Aigburth, has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation; a 62-year-old man, from Old Swan has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation; a 33-year-old man, from West Derby, has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation; a 46-year-old man, from Ainsdale, has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation; and a 25-year-old man, from, Ormskirk, has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation.

The Liverpool ECHO said it understood the 62-year-old man arrested is the directly elected Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson.

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “Liverpool City Council is co-operating with Merseyside Police in relation to its ongoing investigation. We do not comment on matters relating to individuals.”

Labour Party politician Mr Anderson has been Mayor of Liverpool since 2012.

Last year, he secured the selection from Labour to run to be Mayor of the city for a third term at elections in May, which have been delated because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

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