SPECIAL REPORT: The prince who holds secrets

[Music] Jeffrey Epstein can never face justice for his horrific abuse of young girls through the early 2000s but Prince Andrew the third child of the Queen could help authorities avenge the victims of epstein by giving us prosecutors who continue to investigate the convicted paedophiles sex trafficking ring a detailed recount of his encounters with the disgraced financier to track down his co-conspirators and bring them to justice his inaction when he could easily help authorities his baffling but he may have one good reason to keep his lips shut he's accused of being one of Epstein's shady customers for such a wretched story linking everyone from president Donald Trump to the Clintons to Prince Andrew the death of Epstein was not going to put the 66 year old story to rest in this special report Sky News explores Prince Andrew's relationship with Epstein and comes through the public stalemate between the Duke of York and the US Department of Justice which could expose a dark Network that brushed shoulders with politicians celebrities and business tycoons [Music] Prince Andrew is trying desperately to thwart an eruption over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein that threatens to transcend the Duke of York and erode trust in the whole British family but you needyou Frey who used to be called Virginia Roberts said she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the Prince beginning when she was a teenager but Andrew has categorically denied the allegations let's talk about Jane Doe 102 Virginia Roberts do you know Virginia Roberts so she's us investigators have wanted to speak with Andrew for months not as a suspect but as a witness about his friendship with Epstein as part of their inquiry into possible co-conspirators he's not directly involved so far he's a whoop he would be an alleged witness in a civil case the case is essentially against the external estate and and that those who were wronged should be awarded costs in july 2019 federal prosecutors charged Epstein in New York with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors between 2002 and 2005 Epstein is alleged to have sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls what was referred to was a revolving door of young girls he apparently had sometimes prostitutes and friends who had all women procure these young girls to come into this fire and so I've said that that was up to several girls per day he pleaded not guilty to all charges and faced up to forty five years in prison if a conviction was secured in August he hanged himself in prison while awaiting trial whether the allegations against the prince a true or not there's no denying it Prince Andrew is bursting with crucial information about Epstein and his movements including his network of powerful friends and whether they were complicit in had knowledge of or participated in his alleged sex trafficking operation and the Duke has failed to deliver that information for months shortly after Epstein's suicide behind bars Jeffery Berman who was then the attorney for the Southern District of New York said the inquiry into Epstein's alleged sex trafficking conspiracy hadn't finished and prosecutors remained committed to standing up for the brave young women who Berman said Epstein had abused Attorney General William Barr also promised to bring charges against anyone who helped Epstein Prince Andrews stepped away from royal duties in November last year after a disastrous interview with the BBC about his relationship with Epstein and allegations from Zhu Frey his attempt to defend himself from do frays allegations triggered a tidal wave of negative media coverage and evolved into a worldwide scandal that forced the Prince to say I have asked her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future and she has given her permission I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein his suicide has left many unanswered question particularly for his victims of course I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required but Prince Andrew claims he's not the one who can squeal one Epstein's network despite spending days at the finance he has houses during his predatory years the US Justice Department and Prince Andrew have since been embroiled in a public brawl with both sides branding the other Alaia in January Berman alerted the world that Andrew had offered zero cooperation with authorities on the epstein case ordinarily our office doesn't comment on whether an individual cooperates or doesn't cooperate with our investigation however in Prince Andrews case he publicly offered indeed in a press release offered to cooperate with law enforcement investigating the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators so I think in that context it's fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment so let me say that the Southern District of New York and the FBI have contacted Prince Andrew's attorneys and requested to interview present Prince Andrew and today present Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation the original charges against Jeffrey Epstein contained a conspiracy charge and we alleged that there were conspirators involved and Jeffrey Epstein couldn't have done what he did without the assistance of others and I can assure you that our investigation is moving forward how many important people have to be caught up in this how many people know about this because then you know about something and you participate in it under in most cases under American law you have criminal liability for that so he can't this camp this is can only be the tip of the iceberg in March Berman raised the alarm again accusing the Prince of calm lately shutting the door on helping with the inquiry in June the princes lawyers escalated tensions by saying Andrew had agreed to help the New York prosecutors on at least three occasions since the start of the year in the statement lawyers accused Berman of misleading the public with inaccurate comments about the prince that should never have been made they suggested Berman and other US prosecutors were breaching their own confidentiality rules by talking about Andrews cooperation and more perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance pre offered within hours Berman called the statement a ruse he said Prince Andrew yet again sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate with an ongoing federal criminal investigation into sex trafficking and related offenses even though the prince has not given an interview to federal authorities has repeatedly declined our request to schedule 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 either the prince or Berman aligned but it's still unclear who is telling the truth the latest revelation that there has been zero cooperation is really bad for Andrew I think it looks really bad it sounds really bad it sounds like he's got something to hide that's what lots of people here in the UK are thinking and I'm sure around the world as well and you know the problem is there it comes off as if he thinks he's above the law there's an arrogant tone to this kind of it's very dismissive very dismissive off a pretty serious investigation in terms of his relations with Epstein and various young women however one source close to the prince told The Spectator Berman had misled the world and that the Dukes legal team has dozens of email exchanges with prosecutors proving that there has been full cooperation and claimed the Duke is being used as a lightning conductor for the Department of Justice and a battering ram for law firms who want to secure settlements from Epstein's estate all of this is purely a backdrop to the American civil litigation system and that's not that's not run now for justice it's run to enrich the American lawyers the latest eruption of public insults came as Berman's office took its brawl with the prince to the next level by issuing a formal request to the British Home Office seeking its help obtaining an interview with Andrew the request is known officially as a mutual legal assistance application for MLA which amounts to a demand for Britain to hand over Prince Andrew to be interviewed the MLA treaty between the u.s. and the UK is a method of cooperation between the two to get assistance in an investigation or prosecution of criminal matters while Prince Andrew hasn't been charged with any criminal offence in the US UK agencies are obliged to help us prosecutors with their investigation lawyers say this MLA application means investigators could request Prince Andrew provide a witness statement or ask him to provide documents or property relating to the investigation and while Prince Andrew can't be forced to cooperate investigators have the full battery of powers available to British investigators and prosecutors at their disposal to gather evidence including witness summons and search warrants if Prince Andrew refuses to help US prosecutors a nightmare scenario could unfold opening the royal family up to an invasive investigation which could embarrass the throne if Andrew was summoned to appear before court he could stay silent to avoid self-incrimination but failing to cooperate could trigger further legal proceedings if the prince becomes the subject of US prosecutors inquiry rather than a possible helpful witness extradition proceedings could be the next step but the US Attorney General William ball said in June there were no plans to extradite Prince Andrew to the US for questioning I don't think its course I'm handing him over I think it's just a question of having him provide some evidence but beyond that I'm not going to comment so extradition no just asking for evidence Berman's pursuit of Andrew hit a roadblock in June after the Trump administration fired him which could give the prince a break from the barrage of demands that the US prosecutors are hurling at him now a victim's lawyer called Spencer curvin has reportedly called Berman sacking highly suspect suggesting the Trump administration might have fired the attorney after refusing its requests to stop investigating Prince Andrew Berman was removed from office less than two weeks after Prince Andrew's lawyers publicly attacked him Hooven told the son all of a sudden the one man that's been pushing for those requests has been fired for no reason we also know that President Trump has a very close relationship with the British prime minister and there have been requests that have been made in the past by our President to back off international prosecutions Trump maintains he was not involved in Berman's firing speculations swirling online suggest Berman was getting close to finding out about co-conspirators which could include President Donald Trump who has been swept up in Epstein's allegations a lawsuit filed in New York by a woman claims she was raped by Donald Trump at a party in Epstein's New York mansion in 1994 when she was 13 years old Trump and Epstein both categorically denied it ever happened in 2002 Trump infamously said I've known Jeff for 15 years terrific guy he's a lot of fun to be with it is even said he likes beautiful women as much as I do and many of them are on the younger side perhaps Berman's replacement will have better luck securing an interview with the prince who may be keeping quiet to avoid implicating himself [Music] Prince Andrew said he first met Epstein in 1999 through ghilane Maxwell Epstein's former British girlfriend an alleged co-conspirator who the Prince said he had known since he was at university allegations against Epstein started to surface in 2005 when the parents of a fourteen-year-old girl told Florida police he molested Epstein was known for jetting around the globe from property to property on his plane appropriately named the Lolita Express Lolita meaning sexually promiscuous young girl called Lolita expressed for a reason that was a vessel for him to be able to abuse girls despite being charged in May 2006 along with two of his assistants with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor the next month Epstein attended a ball at Windsor Castle for the 18th birthday of Prince Andrews daughter Princess Beatrice Andrew says Epstein didn't mention the investigation been invited through Maxwell as a plus-one and was unaware when the invitation was sent out exactly what legal proceedings were afoot in the United States Epstein managed to secure a controversial lenient secret plea deal allowing him to escape a federal prison sentence and receive immunity from federal prosecution as part of the arrangement Alexander Acosta then US attorney and former Secretary of Labor in the Trump administration agreed the deal would be kept from victims and said he didn't go hard on Epstein because he believed he belonged to intelligence that suggests doubts that he had some very powerful friends possibly people in in intelligence services either the United States or other countries working with the United States which if true is certainly a massive scandal if he was exploiting children to gain dirt on prominent people whether they be in this country or other countries and working with you and US intelligence that would be a major scandal in June 2008 Epstein pleaded guilty to one count of solicitation of prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor and received an 18-month prison sentence have you ever been convicted of a crime yes what was the crime of which he were convicted two cows one a soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution not only would Epstein serve just thirteen months in jail from a cell he was allowed to leave 12 hours a day six days a week but the deal called a non-prosecution agreement essentially shut down an ongoing FBI investigation into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein's crimes the deal also included wording that granted immunity to any potential co-conspirators who were involved in Epstein's crimes what is unusual about the non-prosecution agreement is that it granted immunity to all potential co-conspirators that is something I have certainly never seen I don't know any lawyer that has ever seen a prosecution agreement that granted immunity to potential co-conspirators basically shutting down the entire investigation off to Epstein served his pitifully short sentence the prince was photographed strolling in New York's Central Park with the convicted sex offender in December 2010 the royal brand has been significantly damaged by this whole affair Prince Andrew has brought the royal family into disrepute and that's extraordinary that somebody who is that Prince of England would go and meet with somebody who has these convictions now he was putative procuring sex with an underage girl and there were other charges that were dropped so you've got a question Prince Andrews decision-making in this manner Andrew says he travelled to the States to break off his relationship with Epstein a visit he now regrets and that was when this photo was taken footage also caught Andrew inside Epstein's New York mansion waving goodbye to women Prince Andrew described Epstein's house as a bustling thoroughfare where people came and went all the time at the time Andrew was caught visiting Epstein he dodged criticism until his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson admitted to accepting fifteen thousand pounds from the convicted sex offender in 2011 to pay off deaths shockwaves from the revelation hit Andrew fast who quit his role as a UK travel invoice in July 2011 it wasn't until 2015 that allegations against the prints surfaced dating back to 2001 when Andrew was named in court papers in Florida as part of a civil case against Epstein Jeffery claimed she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions including in 2001 when she was just 17 in London then again in Epstein's New York Mansion and in the US Virgin Islands the details were later struck from the record when a judge ruled they were unnecessary to the case Prince Andrews that he had no recollection of this photo being taken said to be snapped by Epstein himself in Maxwell's house with his arm around teenage Dufresne another claim from documents in a defamation case released by a judge in 2019 alleged Prince Andrew groped another woman's breasts on a couch in Epstein's new york apartment in 2001 Jeffery claimed she was defamed when Maxwell dismissed the validity of allegations that she was forced to sexually service wealthy and powerful men both the prince and Buckingham Palace have denied all allegations against Andrew but if Andrew and the crown are telling the truth it's time the prince detailed every contact and movement Epstein and his associates had in his presence during those predatory years so justice can be served anything short of Andrew offering a meticulous interview with authorities screams of guilt and perhaps fear of reprisals from Epstein's dark Network Andrews silence is especially significant given Epstein and his associates vanished under curious circumstances the federal investigation so far has shown that the guards who were supposed to be guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night that he apparently killed himself falsified logs to make it appear that they had checked on him when in fact they had not it's not clear yet exactly how much time he had but certainly if the 30 minute checks that were regularly intended were not made he would have had some window to harm himself I do not understand how anyone can explain not having him under 24-hour surveillance he got three strong reasons why this man may be done in he might commit suicide he apparently attempted it or he was attacked that threat still remained even after a week and the third one is maybe a prison prisoner on his own is just gonna take him out supermarket magnate Ron Burkle died in January with no cause of death given film financier Steve Bing left from the 27th floor of a building in June and Maxwell has disappeared from the face of the earth surfacing only in reports from time to time in different locations it kept a lot of very powerful people very close and it's for that reason that a lot of conspiracy theories have really been sparked since his death because there was a lot of discussion about whether or not and not necessarily anybody that I've just named but whether or not any of these close and powerful friends of his were concerned that their names were going to come out in his impending trial the Prince can't stay quiet anymore something insidious is afoot in his words he is duty-bound to put Epstein's dark network to rest Philip Richey sky news

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Length: 24min 2sec (1442 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 01 2020