United News of Bangladesh

Veteran British politician Lord Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party, saying he does not want to further embarrass the party following renewed controversy over his past links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter to Labour’s general secretary, Mandelson said he was “regretful and sorry” after being named in newly released documents by the US Department of Justice. The files, made public on Friday, appear to reference three payments of $25,000 each allegedly connected to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson said allegations that Epstein made financial payments to him around two decades ago were false, adding that he has no record or recollection of receiving such money. He said he would look into the matter but decided to step down from party membership in the meantime to avoid causing further damage to Labour. In his letter, Mandelson again apologised to the women and girls abused by Epstein, saying their voices should have been heard much earlier. He said his resignation was taken in what he believed to be the Labour Party’s best interests, stressing his long-standing commitment to its values. Earlier, Mandelson said he could not confirm the authenticity of the newly released documents but repeated his regret for having known Epstein and for maintaining contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. He offered an “unequivocal” apology to the victims. Labour MP Gordon McKee said Epstein’s victims would be “rightly outraged” by the latest revelations and said Mandelson had taken the correct step by resigning. The Conservative Party criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, saying Mandelson should have been expelled rather than allowed to resign, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for his suspension and a formal investigation. Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the government had not been aware of the alleged financial links when questioned by the media. Mandelson, a prominent Labour strategist and former cabinet minister, was appointed UK ambassador to the United States in December 2024 but was removed from the post less than a year later following earlier disclosures about his association with Epstein. He has remained on leave from the House of Lords since his ambassadorial appointment. The newly released files include bank records, first reported by the Financial Times, that appear to show three payments referencing Mandelson. One payment in May 2003 was sent to a Barclays account linked to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, identified as Mandelson’s partner at the time, while two further payments were made to HSBC accounts in June 2004. It is unclear whether the funds were ultimately received. The documents also include redacted images showing Mandelson standing next to a woman, as well as emails indicating he remained in contact with Epstein after his conviction. Mandelson has said he cannot recall the circumstances of the photograph and stressed that being named or pictured in the files does not imply wrongdoing. Epstein was convicted in 2008 in the United States on charges including soliciting underage girls and later died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The latest disclosures form part of the largest release so far of Epstein-related records under a US law mandating their publication.   With inputs from BBC

A newly released trove of US Justice Department documents linked to investigations into Jeffrey Epstein has named a wide range of powerful men, including tech billionaires, former heads of state, royalty and senior political figures, renewing scrutiny of their past associations with the disgraced financier. None of those named have been charged with crimes connected to Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls and young women, and all have denied involvement in his crimes. However, the files show that several maintained friendships or contacts with Epstein even after allegations against him became widely known. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Among the most prominent figures is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, whose name appears hundreds of times in the documents, including in Epstein’s private emails. He has long faced allegations from the late Virginia Giuffre that she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with him when she was 17, claims he has repeatedly denied. Late last year, King Charles III stripped him of his remaining royal titles. The files also include references to Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s former wife, who publicly apologised in 2011 for allowing Epstein to help pay off her debts. Emails show she later sought Epstein’s advice on handling media questions about their relationship, despite earlier pledging to cut all ties with him. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk appears several times in emails discussing possible visits to Epstein’s Caribbean island in 2012 and 2013, though it remains unclear whether any visit took place. Musk has said he repeatedly rejected Epstein’s invitations. Companies linked to him did not respond to requests for comment. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson exchanged numerous emails with Epstein, including invitations to Branson’s own Caribbean island. Branson’s company said there was no wrongdoing, stressing that any contact was limited to business or group settings and ended once serious allegations against Epstein became clear. The documents contain thousands of references to US President Donald Trump, largely involving shared news articles, political commentary and gossip. A Justice Department summary of tip-line calls alleging misconduct by prominent figures, including Trump, noted that many claims were unsubstantiated and deemed not credible by investigators. Former US President Bill Clinton, who previously acknowledged traveling with Epstein decades ago, is also referenced. His representatives say he severed ties after Epstein faced criminal charges in 2006. No Epstein victim has publicly accused Clinton of wrongdoing. Other figures named include Steven Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants, who acknowledged exchanging emails with Epstein about adult women but denied any illegal conduct; film director Brett Ratner, who appears in photographs with Epstein and others; and Casey Wasserman, head of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics organising committee, who exchanged flirtatious emails with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and later expressed regret. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is shown to have stayed in contact with Epstein for years, including after his 2008 conviction. Barak has said he never witnessed any inappropriate behaviour. Larry Summers, former US Treasury secretary and ex-Harvard president, is also cited frequently, later describing his interactions with Epstein as a serious error of judgment. Howard Lutnick, US Commerce Secretary under President Trump, appears in records showing visits to Epstein’s island with his family, though the Commerce Department said his interactions were limited and he has not been accused of wrongdoing. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and several other political and business figures are also referenced. The files further reveal that Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia’s national security adviser and a former foreign minister, resigned after his past contacts with Epstein emerged. He has said the interactions were related to diplomatic duties and denied any misconduct. US officials have stressed that being named in the documents does not imply criminal behaviour. The Associated Press, along with other media organisations, is continuing to review the files as part of a collaborative examination of the newly released records.

Newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation include photographs appearing to show Prince Andrew, formally Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, kneeling on all fours over a fully clothed, unidentified woman. The images, part of more than three million pages and 180,000 photos made public Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice, show Andrew touching the woman’s stomach in some shots and staring directly at the camera in others. No context is provided for the photos, and the timing and location remain unclear. The latest batch also contains emails suggesting Epstein invited Andrew to dinner with a 26-year-old Russian woman in August 2010, two years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. The messages indicate discussions about meeting arrangements but do not provide evidence of wrongdoing. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any misconduct related to Epstein, including allegations of sexual assault made by Virginia Giuffre, which he settled in a 2022 civil case while maintaining he never met her. U.S. authorities previously stated that Andrew is not a target of their investigation and that no evidence indicates he committed a crime under U.S. law, though he may have been a witness to events relevant to the probe. Additional emails in the release include correspondence between Epstein and Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, discussing personal and business matters. The emails do not indicate illegal activity. The DOJ’s release comes six weeks after a deadline mandated by law and features heavily redacted documents, including some pages entirely blacked out. The files also contain images of luxury apartments, hotel rooms, and a villa with a swimming pool. The latest release adds to growing public scrutiny of Andrew’s past relationship with Epstein, but neither the Prince nor Ferguson have publicly commented on the new documents.   With inputs from BBC