London – British police arrested former U.K. Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to a Metropolitan Police news release. The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into his relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Officers arrested a 72-year-old man at an address in Camden, London, following search warrants executed in Wiltshire and Camden, police stated. While authorities did not name the individual, descriptions provided align with Mandelson. Video footage showed Mandelson leaving his home after the arrest, according to reporting by The Guardian.
The arrest follows allegations that Mandelson leaked confidential government information to Epstein while serving as a British cabinet minister from 2008 to 2010, NPR reported. The investigation was triggered by the release of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice, containing emails, videos, and images detailing Epstein’s relationships with numerous prominent individuals.
Mandelson’s arrest comes just days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke of York, was arrested and subsequently released on his 66th birthday, too on suspicion of misconduct in public office, as part of a renewed probe into his ties with Epstein. Both investigations were spurred by the recent release of the Epstein files.
The Metropolitan Police stated the investigation is ongoing. Mandelson had previously announced his resignation from the Labour Party earlier this month, citing a desire to avoid causing “further embarrassment” in light of the revelations surrounding his connections to Epstein, according to The Independent. He had served as Business Secretary in Gordon Brown’s cabinet during the period when the alleged information leak occurred.
The Independent reported that the Epstein files appeared to demonstrate Epstein funded an osteopathy course for Mandelson’s husband, Reinaldo Avila Da Silva, in 2009, coinciding with the government’s response to the financial crisis. Concerns have been raised regarding the vetting process for Mandelson’s appointment as U.S. Ambassador, with some questioning whether previous concerns about his relationship with Epstein were adequately addressed.
