Confidante of Jeffrey Epstein
Trial in New York: Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to testify
This photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell was shown during the trial
© US Attorney Office / Picture Alliance
In the trial against the alleged Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, a verdict could be reached before Christmas. The 59-year-old rejects the charges as “not proven beyond doubt” and does not want to comment.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been accused of sexual abuse, refuses to testify in the trial against her. She has also denied the prosecutor’s allegations. “The state authorities have not proven their case beyond doubt. So there is no reason for me to testify,” said the 59-year-old, according to US media reports, when the judge asked whether she wanted to take the stand. In the trial of the long-time confidante of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the prosecution wants to convince the jury that Maxwell played a central role in the abuse of minors.
Maxwell is charged on eight counts and faces decades of imprisonment if convicted. She had always denied the allegations. Her lawyers presented the case as a legal settlement to her client, since the public prosecutor could no longer prosecute Epstein. She was made the scapegoat for Epstein’s actions.
The defense had finished its evidence on Friday after less than two days of negotiations. Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday. The jury will then withdraw to reach a verdict. This means that the process, originally scheduled for six weeks, could end before Christmas.
Judgment against Ghislaine Maxwell before Christmas
It took the prosecution only ten days to question their witnesses. Two women testified they were only 14 years old when Maxwell approached them and referred them to Epstein for massages that resulted in sexual acts. Maxwell’s defense challenged women’s memory. Of 35 own witnesses announced, the lawyers only called nine in the end after many were not available to testify.
The cases to be heard range from 1994 to 2004 and the alleged crimes are said to have been committed in Epstein’s mansions in New York, Florida, Santa Fe and London. There was never a trial against the well-connected multimillionaire – and acquaintances of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Bill Gates or the British Prince Andrew, among others – because he was found dead in his prison cell in 2019. Coroners concluded that Epstein had committed suicide.
Ghislaine Maxwell is the daughter of legendary British publisher Robert Maxwell and came to New York in the early 1990s. She met Jeffrey Epstein at one of the numerous celebrity parties and was at times his girlfriend. Epstein’s environment described their role in his life as a mixture of employee and best friend. Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and has been in custody ever since.