Prince Andrew and Harry Dunn suspect ‘swap’ dismissed by foreign secretary
Written by News on 31/01/2020
The foreign secretary has dismissed the idea of Prince Andrew going to the US to help the Jeffrey Epstein investigation in return for Anne Sacoolas coming to the UK.
A potential swap was mooted by reporters after foreign secretary Dominic Raab met US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in London.
Mr Pompeo was asked: “We want Anne Sacoolas, you want Prince Andrew – is there a deal to be done?”
Amid laughter in the room, the secretary of state said: “Yeah, I can answer that. I am confident each of these cases will be resolved on their relative merits.”
Mr Raab confirmed: “There is no barter, it’s a rules-based approach. That’s what the treaty does. There is no haggle and no one’s raised Prince Andrew. Frankly, no one has ever raised that with me.”
“They have now,” Mr Pompeo joked.
Anne Sacoolas has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after Harry Dunn, 19, was hit by a car while riding his motorbike near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August.
Mrs Sacoolas, the wife of an intelligence official at the base, left for the US under the protection of diplomatic immunity.
American officials have said she will not be extradited.
The teenager’s mother, Charlotte Charles, told Sky News: “He (Harry) deserves justice and any alleged crimes that Prince Andrew may be found guilty of, then those victims deserve justice too.”
Mrs Charles told the Press Association: “We continue to suffer unbearable hardship every day as a family.
“We have said right from the outset that Anne Sacoolas must face the legal system here.
“There is no other way and no-one is above the law, diplomat or not, as the Vienna Convention makes clear. I urge Anne Sacoolas to do the right thing and come back to the UK now.”
Downing Street said Prime Minister Boris Johnson had raised Harry Dunn’s case with Mr Pompeo.
“The PM raised the tragic case of Harry Dunn and emphasised the importance of securing justice for Harry’s family,” a Number 10 spokesman said.
Prince Andrew has provided “zero co-operation” to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein – the convicted sex offender who died in August – said New York lawyer Geoffrey Berman on Tuesday.
During a BBC Newsnight interview last year, Prince Andrew suggested he would willingly co-operate with an investigation into the crimes of his former friend.
(c) Sky News 2020: Prince Andrew and Harry Dunn suspect ‘swap’ dismissed by foreign secretary
