EPSTEIN FILES WHIP UP STORM

FROM ROYALS TO INTELLECTUALS, POLITICIANS TO SPORT MOGULS, TECH MAGNATES AND CEOS - WHOSE LIVES DID CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN NOT TOUCH?

- STORTY: AFP

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who enjoyed access to the rich and famous even after his legal problems emerged.

From royals to intellectuals, politicians to sport moguls, tech magnates and CEOs, the latest tranche of published documents from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has spotlighted a staggering global web of influence.

Last week the US Justice Department published a new cache of nearly three million government documents related to Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

The financier was long alleged to have been a purveyor of sex with underage girls to some of the world's most powerful men.

The mere mention of someone's name in the files does not, in itself, imply any wrongdoing by that person.

However, the documents made public show at the very least connections between Epstein or his circle and certain public figures who have often downplayed — or even denied — the existence of such ties.

The latest files have highlighted just how broad his connections were as he sought influence with the world's most high-octane people, spotlighting the dark underbelly of the global elite.

From the libertarian billionaire Peter Thiel to the banker Ariane de Rothschild and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Epstein approached his contacts with targeted, tailored overtures sometimes insistently.