Reposted from Liberty Stream Network. Forwarded from Ar Aghaidh
VIEW POINT: Jeffrey Epstein had a busy day in Ireland on Wednesday the 21st of September 2011. We know that he had an official meeting with the then Minister of Justice Alan Shatter. We know that the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Brian Purcell was in attendance. We know that later that evening he had dinner with the US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney which he had met earlier on in the day. This was described as a ‘family dinner’ and it was hosted in the US Ambassador’s residence. What we don’t know is why. Why was there high level involvement by the Irish Government. Mr Epstein was neither a politician nor a citizen so it is reasonable to ask why he was received by Mr Shatter in an official capacity. Was the Garda Commissioner involved and was Mr Shatter briefed about Mr Epstein’s criminal past and the nature and the extent of that criminality.
In the US, law enforcement started to investigate Epstein in 2004 according to the Washington Post. His first arrest was in July 2006 when he was charged with ‘procuring a minor for prostitution’ and ‘solicitation of a prostitute’. In May of that year Palm Beach police recommended that Epstein be charged with four counts of ‘unlawful sex with a minor’ and one count of sexual abuse. After plea bargaining Mr Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitutes and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison. He served a little over three months and then became part of a ‘work release’ programme for the remainder of his sentence. It is difficult to believe that the Gardai were unaware of these well known and published facts when Mr Shatter as Minister of Justice agreed to meet him for as of yet an undeclared purpose. While it is true that Mr Epstein addressed the Institute of International and European Affairs while in Dublin that doesn’t justify a meeting with the Minister of Justice and certainly not following upon his conviction. While the Institute of International and European Affairs describes itself as ‘Irelands leading international affairs think tank’ that might be because it is the only one. Regardless Mr Epstein was totally under qualified to address any ‘think tank’ due to a lack of any formal qualifications.
It is important to know was Mr Shatter aware of Mr Epstein’s criminal record and if not why not. It is incredulous that he was unaware of Mr Epstein’s criminal past as the minister of justice has direct and unrestricted access to the Garda Commissioner and the Commissioner to international law enforcement. Also I find it to be very strange that the US ambassador would host a private embassy dinner for Epstein later that evening. It is reasonable to ask who else was at the dinner and were members of the Government present or board members of the Institute of International and European Affairs. In view of the specific allegation against Epstein relevant to this country that where released at the weekend where it was alleged by a woman that she was trafficked to Ireland as a thirteen year old for ‘politicians and notable men’ it is important to have this information placed in the public domain. It is reasonable to presume that she arrived on Mr Epstein’s private plane which made at least four visits to Ireland. Do passenger lists exist or passport checks. Again it is in the public interest to know.
The woman who made the allegation is now aged twenty seven and is living in Germany where she is applying for asylum. Most of Epstein’s recorded victims have been in vulnerable situations such as underage or from unstable backgrounds and if as a young woman this victim is applying for asylum the presumption is that this represents an additional vulnerability. The Gardaí need to investigate to determine if a crime or crimes were committed within this jurisdiction. Which exact ‘politicians and notable men’ is this victim of Epstein referring to. Only a Garda investigation can uncover the truth and this is essential as other young people could be still at risk of being abused by these ‘politicians and notable men’. We need the truth now.
VIEW POINT: Jeffrey Epstein had a busy day in Ireland on Wednesday the 21st of September 2011. We know that he had an official meeting with the then Minister of Justice Alan Shatter. We know that the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Brian Purcell was in attendance. We know that later that evening he had dinner with the US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney which he had met earlier on in the day. This was described as a ‘family dinner’ and it was hosted in the US Ambassador’s residence. What we don’t know is why. Why was there high level involvement by the Irish Government. Mr Epstein was neither a politician nor a citizen so it is reasonable to ask why he was received by Mr Shatter in an official capacity. Was the Garda Commissioner involved and was Mr Shatter briefed about Mr Epstein’s criminal past and the nature and the extent of that criminality.
In the US, law enforcement started to investigate Epstein in 2004 according to the Washington Post. His first arrest was in July 2006 when he was charged with ‘procuring a minor for prostitution’ and ‘solicitation of a prostitute’. In May of that year Palm Beach police recommended that Epstein be charged with four counts of ‘unlawful sex with a minor’ and one count of sexual abuse. After plea bargaining Mr Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitutes and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison. He served a little over three months and then became part of a ‘work release’ programme for the remainder of his sentence. It is difficult to believe that the Gardai were unaware of these well known and published facts when Mr Shatter as Minister of Justice agreed to meet him for as of yet an undeclared purpose. While it is true that Mr Epstein addressed the Institute of International and European Affairs while in Dublin that doesn’t justify a meeting with the Minister of Justice and certainly not following upon his conviction. While the Institute of International and European Affairs describes itself as ‘Irelands leading international affairs think tank’ that might be because it is the only one. Regardless Mr Epstein was totally under qualified to address any ‘think tank’ due to a lack of any formal qualifications.
It is important to know was Mr Shatter aware of Mr Epstein’s criminal record and if not why not. It is incredulous that he was unaware of Mr Epstein’s criminal past as the minister of justice has direct and unrestricted access to the Garda Commissioner and the Commissioner to international law enforcement. Also I find it to be very strange that the US ambassador would host a private embassy dinner for Epstein later that evening. It is reasonable to ask who else was at the dinner and were members of the Government present or board members of the Institute of International and European Affairs. In view of the specific allegation against Epstein relevant to this country that where released at the weekend where it was alleged by a woman that she was trafficked to Ireland as a thirteen year old for ‘politicians and notable men’ it is important to have this information placed in the public domain. It is reasonable to presume that she arrived on Mr Epstein’s private plane which made at least four visits to Ireland. Do passenger lists exist or passport checks. Again it is in the public interest to know.
The woman who made the allegation is now aged twenty seven and is living in Germany where she is applying for asylum. Most of Epstein’s recorded victims have been in vulnerable situations such as underage or from unstable backgrounds and if as a young woman this victim is applying for asylum the presumption is that this represents an additional vulnerability. The Gardaí need to investigate to determine if a crime or crimes were committed within this jurisdiction. Which exact ‘politicians and notable men’ is this victim of Epstein referring to. Only a Garda investigation can uncover the truth and this is essential as other young people could be still at risk of being abused by these ‘politicians and notable men’. We need the truth now.
