Maxwell wins stay of execution against release of court papers
THE release of court documents said to incriminate Ghislaine Maxwell has been delayed after a US court granted the British socialite at the heart of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal a stay of execution, it emerged yesterday.
Papers including her deposition statement will be kept under wraps in what her legal team will view as a welcome victory.
The decision by judges sitting in the Second Circuit of the US Court of Appeals was announced in a two-page order published yesterday. The documents, said to contain the 58-yearold British socialite denying any knowledge of sex-trafficking for the multi-billionaire financier, were due to be unsealed tomorrow.
Prosecutors have claimed the April 2016 deposition suggests Ms Maxwell had perjured herself by claiming not to know about sex-trafficking. It is claimed she is recorded saying while under oath: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ms Maxwell, who dated Epstein for a brief period in the Nineties, is in custody while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors for her former partner. She has pleaded not guilty and will go on trial in July of next year.
Her lawyers had argued the release of the deposition could be prejudicial and jeopardise her right to a fair trial.
The two-page order does not include an explanation of the judges’ reasoning behind their decision. Another court hearing has been listed for September.
The decision to delay publication came the day after dozens of documents Ms Maxwell had also fought to keep secret were released. Those files dated back to a now settled 2015 defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, 36, one of Epstein’s alleged victims, against Ms Maxwell.
Ms Giuffre has alleged the Duke of York was among the powerful associates of Epstein she was persuaded to have sex with when aged just 17. The Duke has emphatically denied the claims.
The papers released on Friday included claims the Duke had lobbied the US government to try to secure Epstein a “favourable” plea deal 21 years ago.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution. His 18-month sentence – during which he worked from his Miami home – was vastly shorter than if he had been convicted of more serious sex charges. Friends of the prince demanded the two unnamed women and alleged victims of Epstein should produce proof of their claims, rather than unfounded allegations.
The trove of files also included a manuscript containing a detailed account of Prince Andrew’s alleged sexual encounter with a woman in London.
The pages, entitled The Billionaire Playboy’s Club, were written by Ms Giuffre, who claims that she had sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions.