United News of Bangladesh

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Monday said he agreed with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s admission that she had shown “poor judgement” in maintaining contact with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as newly released US court files revealed extensive past communications between them. The acknowledgement came after documents released by the US Department of Justice showed the crown princess appeared hundreds of times in Epstein-related records between 2011 and 2014, triggering fresh scrutiny of Norway’s royal family. In a statement issued earlier, Crown Princess Mette-Marit said she regretted having any contact with Epstein, calling it “simply embarrassing”, and expressed deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of abuse linked to him. Støre’s public agreement with the princess’s admission is seen as unusual, as Norwegian prime ministers rarely comment critically on members of the royal family. He also said former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland had exercised “poor judgement” after it emerged that Jagland once planned, but later cancelled, a family holiday on Epstein’s private island. The revelations have surfaced at a sensitive time for the monarchy, just ahead of a seven-week trial of the crown princess’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, who faces 38 charges including rape and sexual assault. Høiby, 29, who is not a member of the royal family, denies the most serious allegations. If convicted, he could face a lengthy prison sentence. According to the newly disclosed files, Crown Princess Mette-Marit spent several days at Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach in January 2013, and email exchanges suggested a warm tone in their correspondence, including references indicating awareness of his earlier conviction in 2008. Norwegian commentators have expressed shock at the nature of the communications, raising questions about how the risks of maintaining contact with Epstein were assessed and the role of royal advisers at the time. The royal family has faced a series of controversies in recent years, adding to public unease. No member of the family is expected to attend the upcoming trial in Oslo district court, which begins on Tuesday. Crown Prince Haakon said last week that the family’s thoughts were with everyone affected by the case, adding that while his stepson is not a royal, he remains an important part of their family.   With inputs from BBC

The US Justice Department on Friday made public its largest release yet of records linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, disclosing millions of pages and thousands of videos and images under a law aimed at revealing what authorities knew about his sexual abuse of underage girls and his ties to influential figures. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department was releasing more than 3 million pages of documents, along with over 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images. The material was posted on the department’s website and includes records that were withheld from an initial disclosure in December. The newly released files contain references to several high-profile individuals connected to Epstein, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, as well as email exchanges between Epstein and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and other prominent figures from across the political spectrum. The disclosures were made under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed after sustained public and political pressure to open government files related to Epstein and his longtime associate and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Lawmakers criticised the Justice Department after a limited release last month, but officials said additional time was needed to review newly uncovered records and ensure sensitive information about victims was protected. Friday’s release marks the most extensive document dump so far in a case that has continued to shadow the Trump administration because of President Donald Trump’s past association with Epstein. Blanche acknowledged that the volume of material may still not satisfy those seeking a full accounting. “There’s a hunger, or a thirst, for information that I don’t think will be satisfied by the review of these documents,” he said. The Justice Department missed a congressional deadline of Dec 19 to release all files and later said hundreds of lawyers were assigned to review records for necessary redactions. Officials denied any attempt to shield Trump, who has said he severed ties with Epstein years ago, from embarrassment. The documents include thousands of references to Trump, such as emails sharing news articles about him, commenting on his policies or politics, or discussing his family. Also included is a spreadsheet compiled last August summarising calls to an FBI threat hotline from individuals making unverified claims of wrongdoing by Trump. Prince Andrew’s name appears hundreds of times in the records, including in news clippings, Epstein’s private emails and guest lists for dinners hosted by Epstein. Some documents show New York prosecutors attempted to secure an interview with the former prince during their sex trafficking investigation. The records also indicate that Musk contacted Epstein on at least two occasions to discuss potential visits to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, where many abuse allegations are said to have occurred. It remains unclear whether such visits took place. Musk has previously said he refused Epstein’s invitations. Other prominent names appearing in the files include New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, conservative activist and former White House strategist Steve Bannon, and Howard Lutnick, now serving as Trump’s commerce secretary. Statements from those individuals or their representatives said any associations with Epstein were limited and involved no wrongdoing. The documents also reference former Obama White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, who later expressed regret over having known Epstein in a professional capacity. The latest release builds on tens of thousands of pages made public last month, which included previously disclosed flight logs and photographs involving Epstein’s associates. None of Epstein’s publicly identified victims have accused Trump or former President Bill Clinton of wrongdoing. Both have said they were unaware of Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. Epstein died in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was charged federally with sex trafficking. Earlier, he had served jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to state charges involving a minor, under a deal that spared him from federal prosecution at the time. Documents released Friday also include a draft indictment from that period showing prosecutors considered charging not only Epstein but also three personal assistants suspected of helping recruit underage girls. In 2021, Maxwell was convicted in New York of sex trafficking for her role in recruiting underage victims and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. No other individuals have been criminally charged in connection with Epstein’s abuse. One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, had alleged in lawsuits that Epstein arranged sexual encounters for her with powerful men when she was a teenager. Those accused denied the claims. Giuffre died last year at the age of 41.

The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands is trying to subpoena billionaire Elon Musk for documents in its lawsuit seeking to hold JPMorgan Chase liable for sex trafficking acts committed by businessman Jeffrey Epstein. Musk has never been publicly accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 as he awaited sex trafficking charges in a federal jail in Manhattan. But over the years, there had been unconfirmed speculation — encouraged by Epstein himself — that Epstein had advised Musk on certain business matters. Also Read: Musk, new Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino spar over content moderation during on-stage interview Spokespeople for Musk have denied those reports, but the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands said in a court filing that it believes Epstein may have referred or tried to refer Musk to JPMorgan as a potential client. The Virgin Islands, where Epstein had an estate, sued JPMorgan last year, saying its investigation has revealed that the financial services giant enabled Epstein’s recruiters to pay victims and was “indispensable to the operation and concealment of the Epstein trafficking enterprise.” Lawyers for JPMorgan did not immediately return messages seeking comment Monday. In the past, they have said victims are entitled to justice but litigation attempting to blame the financial institution for Epstein’s actions were legally meritless, directed at the wrong party and should be dismissed. Also Read: Elon Musk’s Tesla tweet trial delves into investor damages Authorities alleged that Epstein recruited and sexually abused dozens of underage girls at his mansions in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, in the early 2000s. He had pleaded not guilty. Lawyers for the Virgin Islands told a federal judge Monday that they haven't been able to locate Musk to serve him with the subpoena. They asked the court to serve Tesla, his electric vehicle company, instead. They said they hired an investigative firm to search public records databases for possible addresses for Musk and reached out to one of his lawyers by email, but received no response. A message sent to a lawyer for Musk seeking comment Monday was not immediately returned. The subpoena — one of several sent to prominent business figures — sought documents from Jan. 1, 2002, to the present reflecting communications between Musk and JPMorgan or Musk and Epstein regarding Epstein or Epstein’s role in Musk’s accounts, transactions or financial management. It also sought all documents reflecting or regarding Epstein’s involvement in human trafficking and his procurement of girls or women for commercial sex. And it sought information about fees Musk might have paid to Epstein or JPMorgan and any documents concerning communications between Musk, Epstein and JPMorgan regarding accounts, transactions or the relationship at JPMorgan.