The London Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) ruled out this Friday (5) investigating the accusations against Prince Andrew contained in court documents released in the United States, despite having received a complaint the day before from the British anti-monarchy organization Republic.
“We are aware of the release of court documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein,” said a police spokesperson, referring to the American financier known to Andrew and accused of trafficking and sexual abuse of minors, who committed suicide in prison in 2019. , before his trial.
“As with any matter, if new and relevant information is presented to us, we will evaluate it,” said the source, confirming that, to date, “no investigation has been launched.”
The documents revealed on Wednesday and Thursday by a New York court are part of a defamation lawsuit filed in 2015 by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's main whistleblowers, against Epstein's mistress and business partner, British heiress Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving 20 years in prison for helping him sexually abuse children.
The files detail Epstein's ties, some already known, to prominent figures including former US President Bill Clinton and Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, with whom Giuffre reached a $1 million settlement in 2022 to avoid prosecution for allegations of sexual crimes when she was a minor.
Republic, led by Graham Smith, on Friday regretted the decision by Scotland Yard, which, according to the organization, has investigated similar allegations against other celebrities in the past.
“The Metropolitan Police should open an investigation. Otherwise, how can victims have confidence in the justice system as a whole and how can citizens have confidence in the rule of law?” Smith said in a statement.
“Inaction would exacerbate an already serious problem, where victims of gender-based violence are unwilling to report crimes, and would embolden offenders, knowing that the police will not take action against those in power,” he added.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to comment “on police matters”. Labor leader and former public prosecutor Keir Starmer said that when there is a complaint, “it is inevitable that it will be looked at”.
“We have to start with the victims and analyze the allegations that have been made,” he said, adding that “whoever it is, when there are credible allegations, of course they have to be analyzed.”
Prince Andrew, who denies Giuffre's allegations that he abused her on three occasions when she was 17, retired from public life in 2020 after his connection to Epstein became known. His mother, Elizabeth II, stripped him of his military honors in January 2022.
#Scotland #Yard #drops #investigation #Prince #Andrew #links #Epstein
