London: UK police said Tuesday they were “assessing” information in the Epstein files that women were trafficked by plane into Britain, as pressure grows to probe ex-prince Andrew’s links to the flights, reports said.
“We are assessing the information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the publication of the US (Department of Justice) Epstein files,” Essex police said.
The short statement, referring to the late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Department of Justice in the United States, did not reference Andrew.
But former UK prime minister Gordon Brown has been among high-profile figures urging police to probe the disgraced royal’s links to dozens of flights dating back decades tied to Epstein.
A BBC investigation published in December found almost 90 flights linked to the US financier arrived at and departed from UK airports, some with British women on board who claim they were abused by the billionaire.
Writing in the New Statesman magazine last week, Brown said he had been “told privately that the investigations related to the former Prince Andrew did not properly check vital evidence of flights”.
“I have asked the police to look at this as part of the new inquiry,” he stated, adding it appeared “the authorities never knew what was happening”.
“In short, British authorities had little or no idea who was being trafficked through our country, and for whom other than Epstein.”
Andrew — who was last year stripped of his titles by his brother King Charles III after one of Epstein’s victims alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him — could not be reached for comment.
He has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.
The Essex Police announcement follows Thames Valley Police west of London confirming earlier this month that it was “assessing” misconduct in public office accusations against the former prince.
The force, responsible for the southern area of Windsor where he previously lived, announced the move after the latest Epstein files revealed Andrew may have passed potentially confidential reports to the American while serving as a UK trade envoy.
It prompted Charles to voice “concern” over the actions of his brother — now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — and issue an unprecedented statement noting Buckingham Palace was “ready to support” the police in their assessment.
In the latest potentially damaging disclosure, the Financial Times reported Tuesday that emails show Andrew agreed to help negotiate an US$8-billion cash-for-oil swap between a Chinese sovereign wealth fund and the rulers of the United Arab Emirates during an official visit to China.
The ex-royal and a banker with whom he worked closely exchanged multiple messages about the plan with Epstein, starting while the financier was still under house arrest for a 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from an underage girl, according to the newspaper.
