Former U.Okay. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson has been arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police on suspicion of misconduct in public workplace.
Mandelson was being investigated after a collection of emails between him and the late convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein had been launched late final month.
“Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public workplace,” London’s Metropolitan Police mentioned in an announcement Monday. “He was arrested at an deal with in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants at two addresses within the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”
Police mentioned they had been unable to offer extra info “to stop prejudicing the integrity of the investigation.”
Mandelson was fired from his job as U.Okay. ambassador in September when particulars of the depth of his friendship with Epstein emerged.
Earlier this month, police introduced they’d began an investigation into Mandelson, who served because the U.Okay.’s Enterprise Secretary in 2009 and 2010. Emails launched as a part of the Epstein recordsdata appeared to indicate that he had shared confidential, market-sensitive info with Epstein whereas he was in authorities.
In a single 2009 electronic mail to Epstein, Mandelson appeared to verify rumors of a €500 billion eurozone bailout, telling Epstein the announcement would come later that evening.
In one other 2010 alternate, Mandelson despatched an inner authorities communication to Epstein, with the message: “Attention-grabbing be aware that is gone to the PM.” The memo in query gave the impression to be a be aware from an advisor to then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, detailing the U.Okay.’s struggling economic system with a coverage suggestion to unload government-held belongings so as to increase income.
Different paperwork launched by the Justice Division appeared to indicate that Epstein had paid Mandelson $75,000 in three separate $25,000 transactions between 2003 and 2004. At the moment, Mandelson was a personal citizen.
CBS Information has reached out to a consultant for Mandelson for remark.
Mandelson has beforehand denied any data of or complicity in Epstein’s sexual crimes. In a letter wherein Mandelson formally resigned from the Labour Celebration earlier this month, he additionally denied receiving funds from Epstein, saying, “allegations which I imagine to be false that he made monetary funds to me 20 years in the past, and of which I’ve no report or recollection, want investigating by me.”
Mandelson’s arrest comes days after former Prince Andrew, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested for suspected misconduct in public workplace in response to revelations from the Epstein recordsdata.
