Prince Andrew’s lawyers blast U.S. officials
WASHINGTON/LONDON •
Lawyers for Prince Andrew on Monday hit back at claims that he was not co-operating with U.S. prosecutors investigating the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting they were seeking publicity rather than his help.
U.S. investigators want to interview Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, about his friendship with Epstein — who was found dead in prison last year while awaiting charges of trafficking minors — as part of their inquiry into possible co-conspirators.
The Duke of York has publicly stated he will co-operate with any “appropriate law enforcement agency.” But in March, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said the prince had “shut the door on voluntary co-operation and our office is considering its options.”
In a statement, Andrew’s lawyers said the prince had offered his help to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) three times this year.
“Unfortunately, the DOJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming that the Duke has offered zero co-operation,” Andrew’s lawyers Blackfords said.
“In doing so, they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered,” the statement said.
The lawyers said the DOJ had only requested Andrew’s help on Jan. 2 this year and had stated that he had never been a target of their investigation and they merely wanted his co-operation.
They said statements by Berman that Andrew had given “zero co-operation” were “inaccurate and should not have been made.”
Britain’s Sun newspaper reported the DOJ had sent British authorities a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) request, used in criminal investigations to gather material from other states which cannot readily be obtained on a police co-operation basis.
If the MLAT request is granted, U.S. prosecutors could ask for Andrew to voluntarily attend an interview to give a statement or potentially force him to attend a court to provide evidence under oath.
A U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation probe is focusing on British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein’s, and others who facilitated his alleged trafficking of underage girls, law enforcement sources told Reuters in December.