UPDATE - Johnson Evades 2nd Fine For Breaching COVID-19 Lockdown As Police Say Probe Complete

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not get a second fine for breaching COVID-19 lockdown laws, the prime minister's spokesperson said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not get a second fine for breaching COVID-19 lockdown laws, the prime minister's spokesperson said on Thursday.

"The Met has confirmed that they are taking no further action with regards to the Prime Minister," the spokesperson said in a statement circulated by UK media.

An investigation into eight events of the lockdown breaches across Downing Street and Whitehall is complete, with 126 fines issued, according to a statement by the London Metropolitan Police.

"Our investigation was thorough and impartial and was completed as quickly as we could, given the amount of information that needed to be reviewed and the importance of ensuring that we had strong evidence for each FPN (Fixed Penalty Notice) referral," the police said in a statement.

A team of detectives worked through 345 documents, including emails, diary entries, witness statements, and 510 photographs as part of the investigation, the statement added.

Throughout the pandemic, between March 2020 and July 2021, the Metropolitan Police issued 16,796 fines for breaches of the COVID-19 regulations in the United Kingdom. The total cost of the Downing Street investigation was approximately 460,000 Pounds ($575,000), the statement read.

In January, the London Metropolitan Police initiated investigation of the breaches of the COVID-19 regulations, following reports that Johnson had held a party at his official residence in Downing Street at a time the country was under a strict lockdown.

In April, Johnson apologized for partying on Downing Street during the lockdown and said that he had paid the fine. He has become the first sitting UK prime minister to break the law.