US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RELEASES MORE EPSTEIN FILES

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Bernama-dpa) -- The United States (US) Department of Justice (DoJ) has released many more investigation files on the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The files released on Friday contain more than three million pages of documents and thousands of videos and photos.

They also include pornographic material that Epstein possessed but did not record himself, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Immediately after publication on the DoJ's website, it was still unclear whether new findings would emerge in the case. Eleven data sets are now available there.

Blanche said that personal data of victims had been removed in order to protect their privacy.

Pornographic material depicting children and anything that could hinder federal investigations was also withheld.

For years, Epstein, a  multimillionaire from New York, operated an abuse ring that victimised dozens of young women and minors.

Epstein died in prison in 2019 at the age of 66 before he could face a possible further conviction.

The DoJ should have published all the files by mid-December, apart from a few exceptions granted by law.

At a press conference, Blanche repeatedly defended the fact that significantly less material had been published and that it had been published late.

He said that much more material than necessary had been collected and that only relevant material was being published.

He also said that time was needed to ensure the protection of victims.

Epstein had excellent contacts in high society, which led to much speculation about the potential scope of the scandal and the possible involvement of prominent public figures.

At the end of last year, the publication of the files was finally ordered by law, something that US President Donald Trump had long resisted.

--BERNAMA-dpa