US puts pressure on Britain to hand over Prince Andrew for questioning over sex abuse claims
By Jennifer Ugwueke
The US Government is mounting pressure on Britain to hand over Prince Andrew for questioning over Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse claims.’
According to reports, Investigators probing the case of Ghislaine Maxwell and other associates of dead billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, want to speak to the Duke of York about his friendship with the paedophile financier.
Officials from President Biden’s government reaffirmed the US and UK’s ‘close relationship’ when it comes to offering ‘legal assistance’ in criminal matters amid growing frustration over Prince Andrew’s refusal to engage with investigators
A US government official told the Sun: ‘The US and the UK have a close, productive and resilient law enforcement and mutual legal assistance relationship.
‘We remain in close contact on many active cases on a daily basis and will continue to seek assistance in criminal matters as we provide similar assistance in return.’
Prosecutors last year sent the British government a formal request, known as a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) submission, asking for access to the prince so they could talk to him.
It was reported that Andrew remains a person of interest to prosecutors in the office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York . And as a person of interest, the Queen’s son is viewed at least as a potential witness – and questioning him would form part of the investigation into possible co-conspirators.
This comes after Virginia Giuffre, who has said she was abused by Epstein, filed a civil complaint against Andrew in Manhattan federal Court.
Ms Giuffre, who used to be known as Virginia Roberts, alleges Epstein forced her to have unwanted sexual intercourse with Andrew at the London home of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s alleged Madame.
Ms Giuffre is now suing Andrew in a New York Court for alleged ‘rape in the first degree’, sexual battery and sexual abuse, claiming she thought she’d be murdered by Epstein if she didn’t sleep with Andrew.
The Duke of York has strongly denied the allegations.
Earlier this month, the UK’s most senior police officer Dame Cressida Dick revealed she had told Met detectives to review the claims against the prince, warning: ‘No one is above the law.’
Ghislaine Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to charges that she procured teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. She is expected to go on trial in November.
Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.
