Mandelson Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office Amid Probe Into Epstein Ties

Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man… He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, Feb. 23, and has been taken to a London police station for interview,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesperson. The police force confirmed that the arrest followed “search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.” The statement did not name the former ambassador, in accordance with U.K. guidelines, but the suspect in the case has previously been identified as Mandelson. Police opened a criminal investigation into Mandelson earlier this month after allegations that stemmed from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Jan. 30 release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Once a prominent figure in the U.K.’s ruling Labour Party, Mandelson was sacked as ambassador in September, just months after his appointment, following disclosures from a former batch of Epstein files that showed his relationship with the financier extended beyond what he’d previously disclosed. A series of emails showed that Mandelson had maintained communications with Epstein after the financier’s initial conviction in 2008. The emails released by the DOJ in the final batch of Epstein files proved even damning. Correspondence appeared to show Mandelson might have leaked sensitive government information to Epstein when he served as Business Secretary under former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010. Read More: From Downing Street to the Royal Family, How the Epstein Files Broke Britain In one unsurfaced email, Mandelson appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby other government officials in an effort to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses. In another, he appeared to have forwarded an internal government report to Epstein which showed ways the U.K. might raise funds after the 2008 financial crisis. Mandelson also appeared to have tipped off Epstein that Brown would be resigning in 2010, and that the E.U. would announce a €500 billion to stem the Greek debt crisis. Beyond the sharing of confidential information, the Epstein files also appear to show financial transfers totalling $75,000 from the late sex offender to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. Upon the release of the emails, Mandelson reportedly said that he didn’t recall receiving the money and would need to look into whether the documents are legitimate. TIME has contacted Mandelson’s representatives for comment. Amid the initial outcry in early February, Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party, saying that he wanted to avoid causing it “further embarrassment.” He also quit the House of Lords. He does, however, retain the title of Lord—something that can only be taken away from him by an act of parliament.