On his birthday, King Charles III's brother was arrested in the United Kingdom for misconduct in public office
Compartir:
Prince Andrew, Duke of York and brother of King Charles III, was arrested on Thursday at his Sandringham residence, in eastern England, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to Thames Valley Police.
The arrest took place as part of new investigations related to his connection with U.S. financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The operation took place in the early hours of the morning on the day Andrew turned 66 years old. At least six unmarked police vehicles and around eight plainclothes officers took part in the intervention at the Sandringham Estate property.
Witnesses reported that one of the officers was seen carrying an official laptop as he left the premises, approximately 30 minutes after the officers arrived.
El ex príncipe Andrés fue detenido por mala conducta en un cargo público
The authorities also searched a separate property in Berkshire, although they did not publicly identify the occupant, citing strict British laws on ongoing investigations.
A police spokesperson confirmed that Andrew remains in custody. The arrest took place after complaints were filed earlier this month, based on documents allegedly included in files released by the U.S. Department of Justice related to Epstein.
According to those complaints, the former active member of the royal family allegedly shared confidential business documents with Epstein during the period when he served as the United Kingdom's trade envoy.
Andrés habría compartido documentos confidenciales con el pedófilo financista Jeffrey Epstein
The offense under investigation, misconduct in public office, can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction. In accordance with British law, including the commitments set out in the Official Secrets Act, trade envoys must maintain the confidentiality of information obtained during their official missions, even after they leave office.
King Charles III previously expressed his "deep concern" about the allegations against his younger brother and assured that he will cooperate fully with any investigation.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that "no one is above the law" when asked about the case, emphasizing that it is up to the police to conduct the inquiries and that the principle of equality before the law must be applied without exceptions.
Tanto el primer ministro de Reino Unido, como el rey Carlos III, se mostraron de acuerdo con dejar que las investigaciones continúen su curso
The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny in the United Kingdom following the release of official files related to Epstein. According to data cited in the investigations, at least 87 flights linked to the financier arrived at or departed from British airports between the early 1990s and 2018.
Andrew had already been investigated previously over allegations by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed that she was forced to have sexual relations with him when she was 17 years old, on the orders of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The duke repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and was never criminally charged in that case, although he reached a multimillion-dollar civil settlement with Giuffre. In the wake of the scandal over his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell, he lost his official duties and royal titles, and he has faced pressure to testify before a U.S. congressional committee about his ties to the financier.
El pervertido ex miembro de la familia real podría recibir cadena perpetua en caso de ser hallado culpable
