The Department of Justice has formally requested that Britain hand over Prince Andrew to be quizzed over his links to billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
What Happened: Epstein died of suicide Aug. 10, 2019 in a New York jail.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who was used as a sex slave by Epstein, alleges she was sexually involved with Prince Andrew on three occasions between 2001 and 2002, twice while she was underage. Prince Andrew has denied he was ever involved with Giuffre.
In November 2019, Prince Andrew officially stepped back from public duties after facing a backlash for saying he did not regret his friendship with convicted sex offender Epstein.
U.S. officials previously accused him of providing "zero co-operation" and have filed a “mutual legal assistance” request to the U.K. Home Office, reports the BBC.
Under the MLA request, if Prince Andrew does not voluntarily respond, he could be called to a U.K. court to answer questions.
What Next: Prince Andrew's lawyers have described the request as "disappointing" and stressed he was "not a target of the DoJ investigation and has recently repeated his willingness to provide a witness statement."
Lawyers say he is treated "by a lower standard" than any other citizen over the Epstein investigation.
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman tweeted Monday:
— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) June 8, 2020
The situation has been described by the U.K. press as a “diplomatic nightmare.”
Related Links:
UK's Prince Andrew 'Stepping Back' From Royal Duties After Disastrous Interview On Epstein Ties
Photo by Chatham House via Wikimedia.
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