Ghislaine Maxwell: ‘I believe Jeffrey Epstein was murdered’
Ghislaine Maxwell has revealed that she believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered.
The shamed British socialite said she was “shocked” to hear of the financier’s death at a New York City federal jail in Aug 2019.
In a wide-ranging interview on TalkTV, filmed from the Florida prison where she is serving 20 years for sex trafficking, Maxwell also rejected the opportunity to apologise to her victims - suggesting they should take their “disappointment and upset” out on the US authorities that had “allowed” him to die.
She claimed she wished she had never met Epstein, who had “devastated” her life, insisting she had not realised he was "so awful".
Epstein was found hanged in an apparent suicide in his prison cell while awaiting trial on sex offences.
Maxwell said: “I believe that he was murdered. I was shocked. Then I wondered how it had happened?
“Because as far as I was concerned, I was sure he was going to appeal. And I was sure he was covered under the non-prosecution agreement.”
'I honestly wish I had never met him'
In 2008, Epstein had faced charges of sexually abusing dozens of girls as young as 14, directing others to abuse them and paying employees to bring victims to him.
However, he struck a secret non-prosecution deal in Florida that allowed him to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, while averting a potential life sentence.
Maxwell said: “I wasn't in the indictment. I wasn’t mentioned. I wasn't even one of the co-conspirators.”
She added of Epstein: “I honestly wish I had never met him … Looking back now, I probably wish I had stayed in England.
“But leaving that aside, you know I tried to leave and start another new job and move on from the end of '98, '99 … so, I wish I had been more successful at moving on … Because I became a banker and so I should have moved on completely."
She said that at the time, she had no problem with introducing Epstein to her friends.
"I didn’t know that he was so awful," she added. "I mean obviously now, looking back with hindsight, of course. But at the time ... there was no reason to imagine that he was someone of interest to people.”
Maxwell claimed that she had no memory of her “dear friend” the Duke of York meeting his sex abuse accuser, Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, at her London home. She suggested that a photograph purportedly taken of the pair that evening must be a fake.
Interviewer Daphne Barak, who has known Maxwell for years and is also friends with the Duchess of York, suggested the former socialite was trying to help the Duke via the interview.
Ms Barak said there was a feeling in the Duke’s camp that he had settled his civil case with Ms Giuffre “too quickly” and had perhaps misunderstood that his titles and privileges would not be returned to him.
The Duke is understood to be considering his legal options with a view to trying to overturn the deal.
“If he doesn’t fight back, who will fight for him?” asked Ms Barak.
Ms Giuffre accused the Duke of raping and abusing her three times in 2001, when she was 17. The Duke has always denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Maxwell claimed the biggest misconception about her was that she was the “cruellest, meanest, most poisonous person”.
When she was given the opportunity to offer an apology to her victims, she said: “I say Epstein has died and they should take their disappointment and upset out on the authorities that allowed that to happen.
“I hope that they have some closure via the judicial process that took place.”
She said she wished they could “have a productive and good life going forward”.
She described the moment she met Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral in 1999 as one of the greatest honours of her life. She revealed that they had chatted about their shared love of horses.
Ms Barak told TalkTV, which broadcast the interview on Monday evening, that Maxwell is “very strong” and “really, truly believes” that she has a chance of success in her forthcoming appeal.
