Royal Embarrassment: US Demands Prince Andrew To Expose Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew is facing another problem due to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Apparently, the U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Home Office to allow the Duke of York to come in for questioning.
A Testimony Against A Good Friend
The death of Jeffrey Epstein by suicide has not halted the investigation against him. American investigators continue to probe the billionaire pedophile's relationship with the royal prince, hoping he could give testimony that will strengthen the claims of Epstein's wrongdoing.
However, Prince Andrew repeatedly denied the requests of investigators as if they have fallen on deaf ears. With that said, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed for a Mutual Legal Assitance (MLA) request to the Home Office, bypassing the authority of Buckingham Palace under which Prince Andrew belongs (per Mirror).
The MLA establishes a cooperative line between the U.S. and the U.K. when it comes to investigations. When evidence needs to be collected for prosecution or investigation of criminal charges, the MLA can freely invite everyone in both countries to participate without restrictions.
If the Home Office approves the MLA application, the 60-year-old Duke of York can be compelled to go to the British Court to make a testimony or give a signed statement under oath of his knowledge of Epstein's transactions.
If granted, it would be up for the U.K. judge who will be assigned to the case to decide if the hearing would be in open court.
The invitation extended to Prince Andrew was a form of common courtesy. They were hopeful that the Duke of York would voluntarily come forward to give testimony against Epstein.
If the U.S. prosecutors wanted to extradite Prince Andrew, they would have to obtain a grand jury indictment or an arrest warrant for the U.K. to compel the royal prince to give testimony.
This move made by the U.S. Department of Justice only seeks the cooperation of Prince Andrew as he continues to refuse to give any further statements concerning his association with the convicted sex offender.
An Interview Gone Wrong
In his interview in November of 2019, Prince Andrew opened up about his association with billionaire Epstein. While he was trying to clarify that their so-called friendship was strictly about business, his lack of empathy for Epstein's victims has caused a massive fury.
One of Epstein's former "sex slave" Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed that she had sexual relations with Prince Andrew three times. The first time was when she was only 17.
Prince Andrew vehemently denied it, as well as any wrongdoing or any knowledge about Epstein's sex trafficking transactions.
Unfortunately for the Duke of York, he received masisve criticism about how he speaks of Epstein's victims. The disastrous interview has also forced the prince to resign from his duties in the royal family and take a step back from public life.
Moreover, during his interview, he said that he was willing to cooperate in any investigation. However, to date, he has not provided the investigators with any form of help.
In January 2020, U.S. prosecutor Geoffrey Berman reported that Prince Andrew has refused to help with the investigation of Epstein and his enablers for his sex trafficking activities.
Berman bluntly told the press about Andrew's refusal to talk despite his public commitment.
"It's fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment. To date, Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation."
