The veil will be lifted on 150 people linked to the legal case of Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier who committed suicide in a New York cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges of minors. Their names were kept secret for years until a judge ruled there was no legal reason to keep them under wraps.
The first tranche includes 40 previously unpublished documents with almost 1,000 pages of statements and declarations. The names include a number of Epstein associates previously identified as John or Jane Doe in a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre against the financier's former mistress, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting underage victims. This includes Giuffre himself. The list of names has sparked curiosity and speculation on social media and in the media, but it is not a list of “clients” and does not imply any allegation of complicity in Epstein’s crimes.
The first tranche of documents does not appear to contain any groundbreaking revelations: CNN writes, adding that the transcripts of the statements contain references to several important names that have already emerged in the past, including those of Prince Andrew and the former President of the United States States, Bill Clinton. Much of the information contained in the documents has already been made public through the media and other legal proceedings, the broadcaster explains. However, this is the first time that these documents filed with a court will be released through the legal system. The papers contain, in particular, excerpts from the statements of Ghislaine Maxwell and Virginia Roberts Giuffre. There is also a statement from Johanna Sjoberg, another young woman who once fell into Epstein's circle, who recounts how Prince Andrew playfully touched her breasts while taking photos. Sjöberg's story was also well known, but this is the first time his statement has been made public. Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached an out-of-court settlement in their sexual abuse lawsuit against him, according to a document filed by his lawyers on Tuesday.
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