[ 2015-01-04 ]

Immunity for Andrew in sex case
PRINCE ANDREW may have immunity from prosecution
for his alleged involvement in crimes committed by
his billionaire sex offender friend Jeffrey
Epstein under a deal struck with the United States
government.

The secret plea agreement with American
prosecutors in 2007 protects Epstein, an
investment banker convicted of soliciting sex from
underage girls, along with any of his “potential
co-conspirators” from a number of criminal
charges relating to an alleged international sex
trafficking ring established to serve the rich and
famous.

Details of the “non-prosecution agreement”
emerged after Andrew was forced to deny
sensational allegations made in US court papers
that he had “sexual relations” with a
17-year-old girl, who claims she was used as a
“sex slave” by Epstein.

Last night Buckingham Palace was on the defensive
as it emerged that:

•Documents filed at court in Florida and
obtained by The Sunday Times allege that Epstein
obtained his secret deal through his
“significant social and political
connections”. They claim Andrew and Bill
Clinton, the former US president, made
“efforts” on behalf of Epstein to secure him a
“more favourable” deal.

•The senior American prosecutor who negotiated
the deal now believes it should have been
“tougher”.

•Alan Dershowitz, Epstein’s high-profile
lawyer, was again forced to deny that he had
sexual relations with the alleged victim or any
underage person “ever in my life”.

The unidentified woman, believed to be Virginia
Roberts, now a mother of three living in
Australia, claims she was “forced” to have sex
with the Duke of York in London, New York and the
Caribbean at parties organised by Epstein.

The long-running court case could trigger awkward
claims over Epstein’s relationship with Clinton
as his wife Hillary attempts to win the US
presidency in 2016.

Once one of the best connected men in America,
Epstein is also accused of “lending” the girls
so he could later blackmail their abusers.

The former investment banker was jailed for 18
months in 2008 for soliciting paid sex with minors
under a secret plea agreement with the US attorney
and the Department of Justice that saw much more
serious federal charges dropped.

Andrew’s alleged victim — named only as Jane
Doe 3 — alleges in court documents that she was
told to “give the prince whatever he demanded”
by Epstein.

She also claims that she and other underage girls
were “procured for sexual activities” by
Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the disgraced media
tycoon Robert Maxwell.

In an application lodged at West Palm Beach
federal courthouse in Florida last week, the
victim alleged that Maxwell facilitated the
prince’s “abuse” and helped Epstein to
convert her “into what is commonly referred to
as a sex slave”.

Maxwell, who moved to New York after her father
died in 1991, is described as a “madame” and
“a primary co-conspirator in [Epstein’s]
sexual abuse and sex trafficking scheme”.

She has always strenuously denied any involvement
in Epstein’s criminality.

The motion is the latest round of a six-year-old
lawsuit

Source - The Times(UK)

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