Mandelson's lawyers claimed his arrest 'was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad'.
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Peter Mandelson’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office was “prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad”, his lawyers have said.
The peer was held for around nine hours following his arrest on Monday. At around 1.15am on Tuesday, he was driven out of Wandsworth Police Station after being released on bail.
A statement issued this evening by the law firm Mishcon de Reya, acting on his behalf, said: "Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month on a voluntary basis.
"The arrest was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.
"There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion.
"We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest. Peter Mandelson's overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name."
The former Labour minister was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday and later released on bail, pending further investigation.
Police had planned to interview him under caution in a fortnight rather than arrest him over claims he had passed secret government information to the paedophile financier.
He was reportedly believed to be planning to leave for the British Virgin Islands.
Mandelson told friends shortly after his release: “Despite a previous agreement between police and legal team over a voluntary interview in early March, police arrested me because they claimed … that I was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands and take up permanent residence abroad, leaving Reinaldo, my family, home and [his dog] Jock behind me.
“I need hardly say complete fiction. The police were told only today that they had to improvise an arrest. The question is, who or what is behind this?”
Mandelson has denied wrongdoing. He has repeatedly said he regrets his friendship with Epstein. The Met declined to comment.
In a statement issued just after 2am on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police 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."