British Police decided to drop the case in November 2016 - claiming it was because the accusations happened overseas, however, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is now “making inquiries” over the controversial decision.
The development comes after one of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, accused Scotland Yard and the FBI of corruption, saying the two agencies promised to look into her claims, but then were not allowed to pursue investigations. The Metropolitan Police said it did not have the "appropriate authority" to investigate a 2015 claim as the allegation related to events which took place outside of the UK.
Virginia Roberts-Giuffre said she was trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegedly had sex with Prince Andrew in 2001 when she was 17 years old. Prince Andrew denied ever having a sexual relationship with her in a recently aired interview and defended his friendship with Epstein. Since then, he has stepped away from his royal duties after a loss of public support for "not expressing sympathy for Epstein’s many young female victims", according to AP.
The Duke of York is also said to have recently stepped down from public duties because the Epstein scandal has “caused a major disruption for the royal family”, with Prince Andrew saying he is “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigation if required".
