Nevertheless, the development will be disappointing for members of Congress, after she claimed dozens of Epstein’s associates had been shielded from prosecution by the US Government.
Maxwell said his sister would be “unbearably handicapped” when she appeared before the House of Representatives’ oversight committee because “she has not had access to a computer since 2020”.
She had requested a computer from a court in December, but had not yet received a response and “must therefore assume her request is denied”, he said in a statement.
Maxwell continued: “In consequence, she has seen but a handful of the millions of pages of Epstein files that have been released when they have appeared in the press.
“She has no idea, therefore, what new questions might arise from these voluminous releases so she will not dare to say anything in response to any questions for fear of being subsequently accused of perjury.
“It is therefore essential and necessary but extremely unfortunate that she will have to plead the Fifth Amendment and say nothing.”
Maxwell labelled it a “denial of basic justice” and accused the US Government of trying to “cover its embarrassment” after Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
In January, Ghislaine Maxwell claimed that 29 associates and friends of Epstein were shielded by the US Government through “secret settlements”.
In a court filing petitioning for her release from prison, she alleged four named “co-conspirators” and 25 other men avoided being charged because of agreements with the Department of Justice.
Maxwell, who is serving her sentence in a minimum security prison in Texas, has previously appealed to Congress for legal immunity so that she could not be prosecuted for her testimony.
When the request was declined, her lawyers indicated she would stay silent, calling the committee deposition an exercise in “pure political theatre and a complete waste of taxpayer monies”.
“The committee would obtain no testimony, no answers and no new facts,” they said in a letter last month.
The House oversight committee is conducting an investigation into Epstein’s case and the US Government’s handling of the Epstein files, the documents held by the Department of Justice on the paedophile.
The latest release of the files included photos of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaning over a woman on all fours, and messages suggesting Mandelson had leaked Government secrets to Epstein while serving in Gordon Brown’s Cabinet.
The committee cannot compel testimony from foreigners, meaning Mountbatten-Windsor was able to snub an invitation issued by Congressmen in November.
Mandelson, who is the subject of a police investigation, is also expected to receive a request to testify, sources told the Telegraph.
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