Former U.K. envoy to Washington Peter Mandelson was released on bail Tuesday after being arrested in London on suspicion of misconduct in public office and ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, 72, was fired from the most prestigious posting in Britain's diplomatic service in September, when the depth of his friendship with the convicted sex offender started to become clear.
Police earlier this month began a criminal investigation into Mandelson after Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government passed on communications between the former ambassador and Epstein.
"Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement relating to an investigation into a former government minister.
Mandelson was filmed leaving his central London home Monday afternoon. He was accompanied by plainclothes officers wearing body cameras before being driven away in a car.
A separate statement later said he had been released on bail, pending further investigation, and he was seen returning home at around 0200 GMT.
The arrest means police suspect a crime has been committed but does not imply any guilt.
There was no immediate response from Mandelson's lawyers.
Emails between Mandelson and Epstein, released by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January, showed the two men had a closer relationship than had been publicly known, and Mandelson had shared information with the financier when he was a minister in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government in 2009.
Mandelson, who this month resigned from Starmer's Labour Party and quit his position in parliament's upper chamber, has previously said he "very deeply" regretted his association with Epstein. But he has not commented publicly or responded to messages seeking comment on the latest revelations.
Mandelson's homes in London and west England were searched by police earlier this month.
"He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview," the police statement said.
"This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas."
Last week, King Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over separate allegations that he sent confidential government documents to Epstein. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
