Peter Mandelson has been pictured being released from a cop shop after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The disgraced Lord, 72, was quizzed by police for nine hours, just days after ex-prince Andrew was arrested for the same offence.
Mandelson was released at 1.15am and was pictured in the back of a car leaving Wandsworth Police station after being released on bail. He was seen arriving home just before 2am on Tuesday and journalists began to gather outside his north London home.
The lights were out inside Mandelson’s multi-million pound home in Camden after he arrived back soon after 2am. Some cyclists and runners heckled the gaff as they went past on Tuesday morning.
(Image: SKY)
The ex-Labour grandee was earlier seen being escorted from his home into an unmarked car flanked by detectives on Monday. Two of his properties – in Wiltshire and Camden, north London – were searched by police.
He has been accused of passing sensitive information on to paedophile financier pal Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary.
Footage shown by broadcasters showed a plain clothed police officer leading Lord Mandelson out of his house on Monday. He then gets into the left rear seat of a waiting unmarked Ford Focus police car.
(Image: w8media)
The male police officer then gets into the right rear passenger seat. A female police officer gets into the front seat of the car before it is driven away.
His arrest comes days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody also on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid claims about his time as trade envoy. Scotland Yard said its probe into Lord Mandelson would “take some time”.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.
“He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and was taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.
“We are not able to provide further information at this stage to prevent prejudicing the integrity of the investigation.”
Two of his properties were previously searched by police in connection with the allegations, which surfaced following the US Department of Justice’s document dump related to Epstein last month.
As part of the Epstein files, emails from 2009 appear to show Lord Mandelson pass on an assessment by Gordon Brown’s adviser of potential policy measures including an “asset sales plan”.
He also appeared to discuss a tax on bankers’ bonuses and confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010. The emails appeared to be sent to Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender.
Mandelson has previously denied the Epstein files show he broke any laws or acted for personal gain. Earlier this month, the former US envoy bowed to public pressure and resigned his seat in the House of Lords.
(Image: US Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
He returned to high office last year when he was named as the British ambassador to Washington. He was forced out of that role in September after it was reported he had continued a closer relationship with Epstein after the late financier’s conviction.
Sir Keir Starmer is due to chair Cabinet on Tuesday after his former US ambassador’s arrest. His chief of staff Morgan McSweeney quit earlier this month after admitting he advised the PM to appoint Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US.
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