Met Police is probing ‘complete vary of sexual allegations’ in opposition to Andrew, chief confirms – and says Peter Mandelson is being investigated over €500billion bailout electronic mail he despatched Jeffrey Epstein
Scotland Yard is investigating a ‘whole range of sexual allegations’ against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to see if they ‘merit a criminal investigation’, its chief says.
Andrew was accused of having sex with Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre three times, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by the paedophile financier.
The former prince was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office over claims he shared sensitive information with Epstein when he was the UK’s trade envoy – but Andrew has not been arrested in relation to any sex offences.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the force felt claims made by Ms Giuffre across four video recorded interviews could not support a probe.
Sir Mark, speaking during a visit to Washington, told ABC News: ‘Those interviews didn’t give us any evidence or any allegations of sexual offending or trafficking that we could investigate in the UK. So that’s why that investigation didn’t go forward.’
But, speaking about the new probe, Sir Mark added: ‘Those investigations all go wherever the evidence takes them – quite comfortable with investigating sort of famous or powerful people.
‘I think it’s really important for policing to do that, that sense of operating without fear or favour. The law applies equally to everyone, and those cases will go, say, wherever the evidence leads us to.’
Sir Mark said the Met is also looking into an email Peter Mandelson sent to Epstein – as he urged the US authorities to release unredacted correspondence.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley speaks to ABC News in Washington
Sir Mark is interviewed by ABC News chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky
Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after being accused of disclosing sensitive information to Epstein when business secretary.
The email Mandelson sent to Epstein appears to show he confirmed an imminent €500billion bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
The message – released by US authorities in January as part of the Epstein files – appeared to have been sent to Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender.
Another email from 2009 also appears to show Mandelson passed on an assessment by Gordon Brown’s adviser of potential policy measures including an ‘asset sales plan’ – and that he appeared to discuss a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
On May 9, 2010, in the last days of Mr Brown’s government, Epstein emailed Mandelson saying ‘sources tell me 500 b euro bailout, almost complete’.
The reply, from a redacted address or number, said ‘sd be announced tonight’. A massive rescue package was agreed by Brussels in the early hours of May 10.
Sir Mark said: ‘With Peter Mandelson, the former ambassador, there is a particular email to do with the bailout after the financial crash I think in 2008-09.
‘It looks like it was shared with Epstein. So we are looking at that as to whether that’s a criminal offence. And then colleagues in Thames Valley are looking at other documents that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor potentially shared.
‘And several forces together… there’s a whole range of suggested sexual allegations and those are being assessed at the moment to see whether any of them do actually merit a criminal investigation.’
Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in a photograph taken in London in March 2001
A photograph from the Epstein files which shows Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (left) and Lord Peter Mandelson pictured in bathrobes alongside paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein (centre)
The email Peter Mandelson sent to Jeffrey Epstein appears to show he confirmed an imminent €500billion bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010
Sir Mark’s visit to America this week follows a meeting with US ambassador Warren Stephens last month – with the issue of releasing unredacted correspondence raised during the meeting on February 24.
Sir Mark said: ‘Of course, there’s a big body of that evidence… in the United States in all those files and at some stage we’re going to need the unredacted evidence.
‘We need the original copy and where did it come from and that’s going to be necessary if we get to the stage of court cases.’
The US Department of Justice released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein in January, with some of the pages showing the extent of the connection between Mandelson and the sex offender.
Mandelson lost his job as the UK’s ambassador to the US in September last year due to his association with Epstein. He was arrested last month and subsequently bailed, but later released from his bail conditions, although he remains under investigation.
The Met has already made contact with US authorities to seek further detail on what has been disclosed in the files.
It is unclear whether the force will have to submit a formal mutual legal assistance request (MLA) to gain access to the unredacted files – a process that would take substantially longer.
The US authorities previously sent an MLA to the Home Office requesting Andrew’s assistance as an alleged witness to Epstein’s offending.
The former prince is also the subject of a misconduct in public office investigation which is being led by Thames Valley Police (TVP).
Andrew and Mandelson have both strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
