Amy Winehouse was arrested yesterday by police investigating an alleged bribery plot for which her husband is already in custody.

The singer is believed to have been questioned about an alleged attempt by Blake Fielder-Civil to halt a trial by offering a barman £200,000 to drop grievous bodily harm charges against him.

Accompanied by her father and her lawyer, she arrived at Shoreditch police station in East London, at about 5pm. She was later released pending further inquiries.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said: “A 24-year-old woman has been released on police bail to return to an East London police station on a date in early March next year.”

Mr Fielder-Civil, 25, and five other men were charged last month with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Police have apparently now turned their attentions to his wife, confiscating her mobile phone records, bank details and computer software. Last week officers visited the singer’s accountants, the London-based firm Smallfield Cody, in an attempt to track her financial dealings.

Her detention comes at the end of a year in which headlines about her private life have often overshadowed her musical achievements.

Miss Winehouse, described recently by Lord Lloyd-Webber as the best British singer since Dusty Springfield, won the title in February for best British female at the Brit Awards and four months later picked up Song of the Year at the Mojo Awards.

However, she has also been at the centre of concerns about her health and allegations about misuse of alcohol and drugs.

In August, her father-in-law, Giles Fielder-Civil, said that he believed that both she and her husband were drug addicts. He said that he thought the couple had been taking cocaine, crack cocaine and possibly heroin.

In October, she was arrested and held overnight in Norway for possession of cannabis. She gave several shambolic performances after her husband’s arrest before cancelling the remaining dates on her UK tour.Earlier this month it was announced that she had been nominated for six US Grammy Awards, which recognise the cream of the music industry.

Last night Miss Winehouse returned to her temporary home in Bow, East London, with her mother, Janice, and two others. A spokesman for the singer said: “She attended a police station voluntarily and at a pre-agreed time. She was arrested but that is common practice for someone being interviewed by police. There have been no charges and she has been released.”

Miss Winehouse’s husband and another man, Michael Brown, are accused of assaulting James King, the landlord of The Macbeth public house in Hoxton, East London, on June 20 last year. It is alleged that they later conspired to pervert the course of justice by offering Mr King a significant amount of money to withdraw his allegation and leave the country.

Two other men facing the same charge are Anthony Kelly, 25, from northwest London, and James King, 36, from Derbyshire.

All four have been remanded in custody until January 18 for a plea and directions hearing. A trial date expected in June.

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