Prince Andrew's lawyers slam US authorities for unfair treatment over Epstein case

Rejecting claims by US prosecutors that Prince Andrew provided "zero co-operation" with the inquiry into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Duke of York’s lawyers have recently released a statement wherein they insisted that he had offered to help. In a statement, the team of lawyers reportedly said that Prince Andrew had offered help on "at least three occasions". Earlier, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman had said that there had been a "wall of silence" from the duke in the Epstein case.

'Prince offered assistance three times'

As per reports, the Duke of York’s lawyers had claimed that the US Department of Justice that was prosecuting Jeffery Epstein was seeking publicity rather than the Prince’s help. They claimed that Prince Andrew has offered his help to the US Department of Defence at least three times. They also accused the US authorities of treating the duke "by a lower standard than might reasonably be expected for any other citizen".

Prince Andrew has been widely criticized for his close relationship with Jeffery Epstein and reportedly the friendship even forced the Prince to step away from his royal duties last year. The Duke has maintained that during his visits to Epstein’s house, he had never witnessed anything suspicious.

Jeffery Epstein took his own life in August 2019 in a cell in a US jail. 66-year-old Epstein was awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

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On June 8 it was revealed that the US Department of Justice has requested to speak with Prince Andrews about his links to Jeffery Epstein. The DoJ reportedly submitted mutual legal assistance (MLA) request to the UK Home Office. According to the terms of the MLA, if the Prince does not voluntarily present himself or respond he may be asked to appear before an English court to answer questions.

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The Epstein case

The charges against US Financier Jeffery Epstein began surfacing in 2005. That year parents of a 14-year old girl accused him of molesting their daughter in Florida. Between 2005 and 2008, the US financier was accused of paying girls under 18 to perform sexual acts, but a secret plea saw Epstein plead guilty of a lesser crime of soliciting a minor for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Epstein, in 2019, was once again charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy. Epstein had pleaded not guilty and was due to stand trial when he took his life in his jail cell.