Peter Mandelson, the , was taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of public office misconduct.
“Officers have taken a 72-year-old man into custody… He was apprehended at an address in Camden on Monday, Feb. 23, and transported to a London police station for questioning,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated.
The police force confirmed that the arrest followed “search warrants executed at two locations in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”
The statement did not identify the former ambassador, in line with U.K. guidelines, but the suspect in the case has previously been confirmed as Mandelson.
Police launched a criminal into Mandelson earlier this month amid allegations stemming 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 governing Labour Party, in September—just months after his appointment—he [blank] following disclosures from an earlier batch of Epstein files that revealed his relationship with the financier went beyond what he’d previously admitted. A series of emails showed Mandelson maintained communications with Epstein after the financier’s initial 2008 conviction.
In a to staff at the British embassy in Washington, D.C., Mandelson called the role the “privilege” of his life and said he feels “utterly terrible” about his “association” with Epstein.
The emails released by the DOJ in the final batch of Epstein files proved even more damaging.
Correspondence appeared to show Mandelson may have leaked sensitive government information to Epstein during his tenure as Business Secretary under former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010.
In one resurfaced , Mandelson seemed to tell Epstein he would lobby other government officials to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses. In another , he appears to have forwarded an internal government report to Epstein outlining ways the U.K. might raise funds after the 2008 financial crisis.
Mandelson also appeared to have alerted Epstein that Brown would in 2010 and that the E.U. would a €500 billion package to stem the Greek debt crisis.
Beyond sharing confidential information, the Epstein files also appear to show financial totalling $75,000 from the late sex offender to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. Upon the emails’ release, Mandelson said he didn’t recall receiving the money and would need to verify the documents’ legitimacy.
TIME has reached out to Mandelson’s representatives for comment.
Amid the initial outcry in early February, Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party, stating he wanted to avoid causing it “further embarrassment.”
He also stepped down from the House of Lords. However, he retains the title of Lord—something that can only be revoked by an act of parliament.
Mandelson’s arrest, meanwhile, comes days after King Charles III’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was also arrested on suspicion of public office misconduct.
Andrew, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has also faced increased scrutiny following the most recent Epstein files release, which raised questions about his communications with the convicted sex offender and his own conduct.
