Reinaldo Avila da Silva: The Epstein Payment Scandal

When a 2009 email surfaced showing that Jeffrey Epstein had sent £10,000 to Peter Mandelson’s partner, it set off a chain of events that ended a political career. Reinaldo Avila da Silva, a Brazilian translator, suddenly found himself at the center of a scandal that would force his husband to resign from the Labour Party. Here’s what the documents reveal about the man, the payment, and the fallout.

Age: 72 years old (as of 2026) ·
Nationality: Brazilian ·
Profession: Translator ·
Years together with Peter Mandelson: 27 years before marriage in 2023 ·
Amount sent by Jeffrey Epstein: £10,000 (approximately R$70,000) ·
Source of Epstein payment: 2009 email exchanges released in court documents

Eight key facts, one pattern: the documentary trail linking a Brazilian translator to a convicted sex offender’s payments is more extensive than initially reported.

Who is Reinaldo Avila da Silva?

Early life and background

• Reinaldo Avila da Silva was born in Brazil, though his exact birth date and early education details are not widely documented. He is a Brazilian national and has lived in the United Kingdom for decades.

Professional career as a translator

• Da Silva works as a translator. In 2009, he expressed interest in studying osteopathy, according to emails released by the US Department of Justice (The New York Times). However, the General Osteopathic Council (UK regulator) confirmed that da Silva did not complete the course and is not registered to practise osteopathy in the UK.

Relationship with Peter Mandelson

• Da Silva has been the partner of Lord Peter Mandelson since at least 1996. The couple married in 2023 after 27 years together, as reported by The Guardian. Mandelson is a prominent Labour politician who served in multiple cabinet roles.

Did Jeffrey Epstein send money to Reinaldo Avila da Silva?

The 2009 email exchange

• On 7 September 2009, Reinaldo Avila da Silva emailed Jeffrey Epstein about expenses for an osteopathy course, including fees, anatomical models, and a laptop (Sky News). The email was part of a trove of documents released by US authorities in January 2026.

Amount and purpose of the payment

• Epstein transferred £10,000 to da Silva for the course, according to The New York Times. The BBC News also reported that US Department of Justice documents show Epstein made three payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson: the first $25,000 on May 14, 2003, to a Barclays account associated with da Silva, and two later $25,000 payments in June 2004 to HSBC accounts listing Mandelson as beneficiary. It remains unclear whether these payments were successfully credited.

Links to the Epstein scandal

• The payments placed da Silva and Mandelson in the orbit of the Epstein scandal, which has ensnared numerous public figures. CNN noted that the revelations prompted intense scrutiny of Mandelson’s past associations.

The implication: The £10,000 payment was not an isolated transaction but part of a broader $75,000 trail that political opponents would later use to force a resignation.

Why did Peter Mandelson resign in 2026?

Connection to the Epstein payment

• On 30 January 2026, The Guardian published the story of Epstein’s payment to da Silva. The revelation triggered a political crisis for Mandelson, who was serving as a trade envoy.

Political fallout in the UK

• By 3 February 2026, Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party to avoid further embarrassment (The New York Times). CNN reported that the resignation came after “fresh reporting intensified scrutiny.”

Mandelson’s statement

• Mandelson stated that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal history at the time of the payments. The BBC News quoted him as saying the association was a “mistake of judgment” but not an indication of any wrongdoing.

The pattern: The payment to da Silva was the immediate trigger, but the wider $75,000 trail made the scandal impossible to contain for a veteran politician who had survived previous controversies.

What is known about Reinaldo Avila da Silva’s personal life?

Age and age difference with Mandelson

• Da Silva is 72 years old as of 2026, according to Grazia Daily (lifestyle magazine). Peter Mandelson is 72 as well (born 1953), so there is no significant age difference.

Children and family

• There is no public information about da Silva having children. The couple has not disclosed any details about family beyond their marriage.

Husband and partner identity

• Da Silva is the husband of Peter Mandelson. They have been together since the mid-1990s and formalised their relationship in 2023.

Is there a Wikipedia page for Reinaldo Avila da Silva?

Online presence and biographical sources

• As of February 2026, there is no dedicated Wikipedia page for Reinaldo Avila da Silva in English. Information is primarily available through news outlets such as BBC News, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

News coverage in Brazil and UK

• Brazilian media, including Deutsche Welle Brasil, covered the story extensively, highlighting the connection to a Brazilian national. The scandal gained significant attention in both countries after the document release.

The catch: The lack of a Wikipedia entry means that most biographical details are still drawn from journalistic reporting, not from an authoritative compiled source.

The £10,000 payment to da Silva was the spark that ignited a political firestorm, but the broader $75,000 trail suggests a deeper financial entanglement. For Peter Mandelson, the resignation may have been necessary to protect the Labour Party, but the questions about the Epstein connection are far from settled. The scandal forced a veteran Labour figure to leave public office over a financial link to a convicted sex offender that dated back nearly two decades.