A legal expert on extradition cases believes that Prince Andrew and his legal team are trying to prevent any risks that he will be named a suspect in the Jeffrey Epstein case. This is likely the reason why he's still not talking to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), despite claiming that they've reached out to the authorities.
Lawyer Karen Todner believes that it's the priority of Prince Andrew's lawyers to prevent him from having another disaster similar to his BBC interview in November 2019. Thus, the Duke of York's legal team are trying to control when he'll talk with the U.S. authorities.
The DOJ and the FBI allegedly filed for a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request with the U.K. Home Office to allow them to interview Prince Andrew. Allegedly, the American authorities are not pleased that Prince Andrew would simply like to submit a prepared statement for the Epstein case, instead of being subjected to an inquiry with the FB.
Todner said that this process of inquiry will have Prince Andrew under oath. The Duke of York does not have diplomatic immunity, so whatever he says in this interview may be used against him.
But the lawyer also said that this MLA request is not going to go away anytime soon. First, a judge has to review if issuing the MLA has actual merits and deciding on these merits could take up to a year. Eventually, however, the U.K. government will have to decide on what to do with this MLA and it might put the Queen Elizabeth's son in a very difficult spot.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew's lawyers said that they have told the DOJ previously that the Duke of York is willing to speak to them and this is why the legal team is bewildered that the U.S. authorities are saying the Duke of York refuses to cooperate. Prince Andrew's lawyers also want him to be treated as a potential witness in the Epstein case and not a suspect on trial like Ghislaine Maxwell.
Since Maxwell's arrest in early July, the attention has been fixated on Queen Elizabeth's son. One of the victims claimed that it was Maxwell who made arrangements for her to have sex with Prince Andrew.
The royal has repeatedly denied this claim. However, experts said that Prince Andrew's circle is slowly closing in, especially among those who have been involved with Epstein's illegal activities. His time could soon be up.
