PRINCE Andrew is still ‘hiding behind his lawyers’, the lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said today. The 60-year-old royal this week insisted he had offered to speak with American prosecutors over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. But the lawyer for Epstein’s victims today declared “no one is above the law” as she accused the […]
PRINCE Andrew is still ‘hiding behind his lawyers’, the lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said today.
The 60-year-old royal this week insisted he had offered to speak with American prosecutors over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
But the lawyer for Epstein’s victims today declared “no one is above the law” as she accused the Duke of York of still hiding.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain today, she said: “Prince Andrew said months ago he would cooperate but he has failed to do that.
“He’s hiding behind his attorneys”.
She said that the public figure should be “transparent”, adding: “It’s time to meet with the investigators, and help my clients, the victims of Epstein, to get justice.”
Andrew is facing ongoing scrutiny over his links to convicted sex offender Epstein, who was at the centre of a web of sex trafficking and abuse before killing himself in jail last August.
The Sun this week revealed that the US Department of Justice has filed a “mutual legal assistance” request to the Home Office – which formally asks for help to question the Royal.
But the royal’s lawyers released an unprecedented statement, insisting he had offered to assist in the investigation three times.
Blackfords LLP acting for the royal said: “The Duke of York has on at least three occasions this year offered his assistance as a witness to the DOJ. Unfortunately, the DOJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming that the Duke has offered zero cooperation.
“In doing so, they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered.”
The Duke has always denied any improper behaviour over his relationship with Epstein, and strongly denies allegations he slept with sex slave Virginia Roberts when she was 17.
But hours later, Geoffrey Berman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York hit back.
In an explosive statement, Mr Berman Prince Andrew was seeking to “falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co-operate with an ongoing federal criminal investigation”
He said: “(He) has repeatedly declined our request to schedule such an interview, and nearly four months ago informed us unequivocally – through the very same counsel who issued today’s release – that he would not come in for such an interview.”
Sources have claimed Andrew may never cooperate with the probe while Mr Berman is in charge, reports the Telegraph.
Insiders insist that Andrew should remain a “witness” rather than a “target” in the federal investigation into Epstein.
The source said: “The Duke would have cooperated fully with Berman had he not chosen to make an example of him.”
Andrew stepped down as a senior royal after his disastrous Newsnight interview last November.
During the interview, Andrew said he would help the US investigation if his “legal advice was to do so”.
Alleged victim Virgina Roberts Giuffre says she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with Andrew in London in 2001.
She described Andrew as “sweating profusely” at Tramp nightclub before having sex at Ghislaine’s Mayfair flat.
Andrew later told Newsnight a “peculiar medical condition” meant he did not sweat.
And he insisted he did not go clubbing, claiming he remembered because he had been at Woking Pizza Express earlier that day.
He claims he has no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre and sources close to the Prince have even suggested a photo with his arm around Giuffre at Maxwell’s flat could have been faked.
