UNITED States federal investigators have launched a probe into the death of financier Jeffrey Epstein following his apparent suicide in his prison cell.
Epstein, who was accused of orchestrating a sex trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found unresponsive in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Saturday morning and later pronounced dead in hospital.
Epstein had been placed on suicide watch after being found with bruising on his neck, but was taken off the watch at the end of July.
READ MORE: Epstein found dead in prison in apparent suicide as he awaited trial
Attorney General William Barr called for an investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office.
“Mr Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said.
The financier, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.
Epstein’s death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.
Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote to Barr saying “heads must roll” after the incident.
“Every single person in the Justice Department – from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer – knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn’t be allowed to die with him,” Sasse wrote.
On Friday, more than 2000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein’s ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers.
The records contained graphic allegations against Epstein, and the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel