Former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson has been released on police bail following questioning over alleged misconduct in public office.
Scotland Yard opened an inquiry into the ex-business secretary after material surfaced indicating he may have passed classified Whitehall intelligence to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure under Gordon Brown.
Documents allegedly shared include details of a multibillion-pound eurozone rescue package, Gordon Brown's departure from office, and proposed disposals of state-owned assets and property.
Plainclothes Metropolitan Police officers led Lord Mandelson from his Camden home at approximately 4.30pm Monday.
He walked out of Wandsworth custody suite nine hours later, getting back to his residence around 2am Tuesday.
Police stormed two of his properties earlier this month — deploying multiple officers to his north London mansion near Regent's Park while executing a simultaneous warrant at his Wiltshire home, Scotland Yard confirmed.
Investigators freed Lord Mandelson on bail conditions Tuesday morning while their probe continues, reports the BBC.
"A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation," a police statement read.
"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."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will convene his Cabinet Tuesday following the detention of his former Washington envoy, reports ITV News.
Liberal Democrats are simultaneously pushing to extract government files documenting Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's trade envoy appointment, with the ex-royal similarly accused of feeding confidential material to Epstein during his diplomatic service.
Authorities had already swept through both properties before Monday's arrest, with the allegations emerging from last month's massive Justice Department file release concerning Epstein's criminal network.
2009 correspondence buried in the Epstein archive suggests Lord Mandelson transmitted a senior Brown adviser's internal policy assessment covering an "asset sales plan" among other government strategies.
Additional messages show him apparently discussing banker bonus taxation proposals and confirming a eurozone bailout announcement 24 hours before its official public unveiling in 2010.
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