Nearly a week after the publication of the files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, the scandals with those accused of having ties to him have not subsided, Western publications wrote this morning, BTA reported.
The scandal has also shaken the chair of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the “Guardian“ reported. Yesterday, a Labour MP warned him that his days as prime minister were numbered over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite his friendship with Epstein.
“It's better if everything comes out,“ the MP said.
“We've had a lot of bad days recently, but I think this is the worst yet,“ a former minister told a debate in the lower house of parliament, while another MP added: “The trust is gone. I, personally, am not sure I would be able to support the prime minister in a vote of confidence“.
The MPs also pointed out that Starmer's admission that he knew about Mandelson's friendship with Epstein before his appointment has brought clarity to the scandal, the “Guardian“ also notes.
“They simply cannot defend themselves“, said a representative of the House of Commons. “They knew about Peter's connections with Epstein, but they still gave him the job. It looks like Chris Pincher on steroids“, he added, recalling the scandal that ultimately led to the overthrow of Boris Johnson's government.
The “New York Times“ newspaper examines the financier's connections with royalty. The former British duchess called him "the brother I always dreamed of." The future Queen of Norway wrote to him "I miss my crazy friend," after his crimes were already well known. An adviser to the Saudi royal court exchanged explicit messages with Epstein, the publication notes.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice on Friday last week reveal new evidence of how members of royal families and those in their orbit repeatedly ignored the convicted sex offender's dirty reputation while praising him and making demands for money, gifts and attention.
Epstein used his access to money and the procurement of girls and women to build and strengthen his relationships with people of enormous power, status and wealth, and hundreds of newly published messages, emails, photos and videos show how he expanded his connections with royals and their entourage, notes the “New York Times“.
He claims to have paid off their debts, provided them with temporary apartments, provided them with private jet flights and shelters them in their home. In return, they seem unfazed by his 2008 sex crime conviction.
“You are such a sweetheart“, wrote the wife of the Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Merit in 2012. In his correspondence with her, the convicted financier wrote to her that he had met two Norwegian girls, aged 24 and 25.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on the younger brother of King Charles III – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence to Parliament about Epstein, after photographs were published at the weekend showing him crouching over a woman lying on the floor.
The newly released files also reveal correspondence between the financier and Andrew's ex-wife and former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, following his conviction for sex offences in 2008. An email from 2009 reveals that Epstein may have paid for flights for "the Duchess and the girls from Heathrow to Miami" - an apparent reference to a trip by Ferguson and her daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. In another email in 2010, Ferguson called him "a legend", adding: "I truly have no words to describe my love, my gratitude for your generosity and kindness. I'm at your service. Just marry me."
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein invested $3 million in crypto startup Coinbase in 2014, The Washington Post reported, citing declassified documents.
The financier, who maintained contact with technology leaders including Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is believed to have had access to competing investment opportunities in Silicon Valley even after pleading guilty in 2008 to two counts of solicitation of prostitution, one of which involved a minor.
The French newspaper Le Monde notes that the names of several French celebrities from politics, cinema and culture are among those exposed for links to Epstein in the declassified documents.
None of the emails reveal involvement in crimes related to pedophilia, but they raise many questions about whether they were aware of the financier's criminal activities, the publication writes.
“The whole world came to his table“, world-renowned conductor Frédéric Chasselin told “Monde“. He recalls that between 2013 and 2019 he saw Jeffrey Epstein at least five times – in New York, Paris and at his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Obviously, if I had known, I would never have gone to his house“, Chasselin regrets. "It's like I've met a monster," he added.
According to the leaked documents, however, in September 2013 the conductor sent an ambiguous email to Jeffrey Epstein: "I found a great girl for your next stay in Paris, a philosophy student, 21 years old, who looks a bit like Polanski's current wife," he wrote.
It's about a translator for a visit to a museum, Chaslin justified himself, adding that in the end the girl did not work with the financier, writes "Le Monde."
The name of former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire also appeared in the published documents. For now, however, he prefers to remain silent.
The Epstein scandal has also shaken the Nobel Peace Committee, after it became clear that its former chairman, and before that Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland, may have benefited financially from his ties to the financier, writes “Figaro“.
“If it turns out that Thorbjorn Jagland received significant financial benefits from Jeffrey Epstein as a member of the Nobel Committee, this would be in conflict with our code of ethics“, said the permanent secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Christian Berg Harpviken.
The 75-year-old was chairman of the Nobel Committee from January 2009 to March 2015, Prime Minister of Norway in 1996-1997 and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2000-2001 , he was also Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019, the publication recalls.
According to the Norwegian newspaper “Ve Ge“ (VG), which commented on the documents published on Friday by the US Department of Justice, Jagland requested a guarantee from the American financier for the purchase of an apartment. The result of this request is unknown.