Politics

Who is Keith Vaz’s wife Maria Fernandes Vaz?


AS the parliamentary watchdog halts its investigation into Keith Vaz’s private life “for medical reasons”, the media spotlight returns once more to the disgraced MP and his faithful wife.

The Labour MP’s spouse, Maria Fernandes Vaz, has remained loyally by her husband’s side after it emerged he had paid rent boys for sex – by who is she?

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Credit: Dominic O’Neill

Vaz has been married to Maria for more than 20 years and the pair have two children together

Who is Maria Fernandes Vaz?

Maria Fernandes Vaz is a former barrister and principal of the law firm Fernandes Vaz, which was established in 1995.

Fernandes, who is in her late 50s, has specialised exclusively in immigration and nationality law for 25 years.

She began her immigration career in 1986, working for the UK Immigration Advisory Service.

Fernandes, who goes by her maiden name at work, then spent eight years in corporate immigration law.

She is a part-time Judge with the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

 Keith Vaz pictured with his wife Maria leaving his home in Edgware, north London, after his sex scandal erupted

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Keith Vaz pictured with his wife Maria leaving his home in Edgware, north London, after his sex scandal eruptedCredit: SWNS

What is Keith Vaz and Maria Fernandes’ history?

Vaz, 61, married Fernandes 26 years ago and the couple have a son and daughter together.

They live in Edgware, North West London but own a property empire that includes two houses in his Leicester constituency, two London flats and a large detached house on the outskirts of the capital.

Their family home is estimated to be worth £2.2million.

Vaz used a £387,500 flat around the corner from his home, which he bought without a mortgage, to meet escorts for sex.

 MP Keith Vaz pictured with his wife Maria on their wedding day in 1993

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MP Keith Vaz pictured with his wife Maria on their wedding day in 1993Credit: PA

How did Vaz’s react to the scandal?

Fernandes has stood by her husband in the wake of revelations he paid two male escorts for sex and offered to buy cocaine for them.

Keith Vaz – dubbed “Vaz-eline” by the press, later issued a public apology to his wife and children for what he had put them through.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Fernandes described the revelations as an “out-of-body experience”.

“It was not real,” she said. “There was a lot of things over the years, but this had not been one.

“It was a terrible shock and I am still processing it … Keith is not a bad person, he’s just done a terrible thing. It’s absolutely terrible because it’s affected all of us, because it’s affected the kids.

“But he’s a good person, a good father, he’s been a good husband and nine-tenths of the time he’s got things right. This time he’s fallen… badly.”

Maria’s brother, Pedro Fernandes, also revealed Vaz had enjoyed a family dinner just hours before his alleged sex session.

He reportedly ate dinner with relatives in Leicester, including Maria and the couple’s teenage daughter, before heading back to London alone.

Fernandes told the Daily Mail: “She will be shocked and find it difficult to believe this because it’s so out of character.

“I always thought Vaz and my sister had a happy marriage. He never normally drinks – maybe a couple of sips of wine – and he never takes drugs.”

What’s happened to the investigations into Keith Vaz’s private life?

The MP was previously the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee.

But he resigned after the Sunday Mirror reported he had met two men in his London flat to engage in paid-for sex.

In the course of the encounter – which was covertly audio-recorded by one of the men – Mr Vaz was said to have offered to buy illegal drugs for a third person to use.

The committee said his explanation that the men were there to discuss the redecoration of the flat and that he may have been given a “spike drink” was “not believable and, indeed ludicrous”.

He is now facing a suspension after the Commons Standards Committee has said he “expressed willingness” to purchase cocaine for others in October 2019.

Recommending suspension, the Commons Standards Committee said the finding represented a “very serious breach” of the House code of conduct for MPs.

It said that by failing to co-operate fully with the Commons inquiry process, Mr Vaz had shown “disrespect for the House’s standards system” and caused “significant damage” to the reputation and integrity of the Commons as a whole.

If the Commons agrees to the recommended suspension, it will trigger the opening of a recall petition in his Leicester East constituency, provided a general election does not intervene first.

 Vaz was previously the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee - which has been battling to decriminalise prostitution

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Vaz was previously the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee – which has been battling to decriminalise prostitutionCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Has his wife been involved in other Vaz allegations?

Vaz became embroiled in a scandal involving international business owners, the Hinduja brothers, in 2001 after he was accused of prejudicing an independent inquiry into the brothers’ application for British citizenship.

An inquiry was launched into his financial affairs after it emerged the Hinduja Foundation paid £1,200 into Mapesbury Communications, a company run by Maria Fernandes Vaz.

He was later cleared of failing to register the payments but Elizabeth Filkin, who led the probe, said he had colluded with his wife to conceal the payments.

 Maria has become embroiled in a number of the Labour MP's scandals

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Maria has become embroiled in a number of the Labour MP’s scandalsCredit: WWW.LMKMEDIA.COM





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