LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Britain’s Ministry of Defence is reviewing flight records that could hold information relating to Jeffrey Epstein, a ministry spokesperson said, after files appeared to show the late U.S. sex offender landed his private jet at military bases.
British police are already assessing whether Epstein trafficked women through two London airports and one in central England on private flights, as part of a nationally coordinated effort to investigate the disgraced financier’s ties to Britain.
But calls are growing for police to also investigate whether Royal Air Force bases such as Marham, in eastern England, and Northolt, near London, were used for the same activity after the files appeared to show Epstein’s private jet had landed there too.
Private jets regularly use RAF Northolt, but it is much less common for them to land at RAF Marham, which is a key frontline base.
Defence minister John Healey has now ordered a review of military flight records, the MoD spokesperson said in a statement late on Thursday.
“The Defence Secretary has ordered a review of all records that the department may hold relating to Epstein flights landing at RAF bases to ensure that any information which relates to Epstein’s crimes is uncovered and provided to the relevant authorities,” the spokesperson said.
The MoD will support any civilian police investigations, the statement said, adding that the ministry’s thoughts were with the victims of Epstein’s “vile crimes”.
Nearly seven years after his death, the Epstein scandal continues to rock the British establishment.
The latest batch of files released in January led to the brief arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles’ brother, and then of Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the U.S, over their suspected sharing of confidential government documents with Epstein.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, writing by Sarah YoungEditing by Gareth Jones)
