You have to be living under a rock to not have heard about the Jeffrey Epstein case. The former American Financier and convicted sex offender may have died under dubious circumstances, but prosecutors have continued in their crusade for justice, investigating people who they believe may have helped Epstein carry out an alleged multi-year sex trafficking operation.
That being said, the US Department of Justice have just put in a request to interview someone who they feel can provide more insight into the case, and it’s none other than Prince Andrew, a member of the British Royal family.
The prince has come under intense public scrutiny over his close relationship with Epstein. While even the likes of Bill Gates has had a relationship with the man, Prince Andrew has also been called out by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers, alleging that she was forced into sexual encounters with the prince while she was still underage.
Of course, Prince Andrew denies the allegations and in an interview with the BBC last November, the prince insists that he’s never even met Giuffre and that a photo circulating of them together may have been doctored.
The US Department of Justice request to interview the prince comes as Prince Andrew’s legal team said that “any pursuit of an application for mutual legal assistance would be disappointing.”
In what has now become a case of he said she said, Prince Andrew’s team claims that the Justice Department insisted “that the Duke is not and has never been a ‘target’ of their criminal investigations into Epstein” and that Prince Andrew “has on at least three occasions this year offered his assistance as a witness to the DOJ.”
Across the pond however, US Attorney Geoffrey Berman claimed back in January that “It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” and that “To date Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation.”
Fast forward two months and Berman’s tone is the same, with him claiming that Prince Andrew had “completely shut the door” on voluntarily cooperating with his investigation and that he is now considering his options moving forward.
Of course, as you’d expect, Prince Andrew’s legal team claim that “these statements were inaccurate, and they should not have been made.” before suggesting that “they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered.”
