LONDON (AP) — The Sun newspaper’s executive editor was charged Thursday with authorizing bribes to a government official, making him one of most senior journalists to be caught up in Britain’s sprawling media ethics scandal.

Fergus Shanahan is accused of authorizing one of his journalists to make two payments totaling 7,000 pounds ($10,700) to an unidentified public official in exchange for tips between August 2006 and August 2007.