Ghislaine Maxwell is hiding out in Paris to avoid being interviewed by US investigators looking into child sexual assault allegations against Jeffrey Epstein, The Sun reports, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.
It is understood that the British media heiress was seen in the French capital in March before city authorities announced a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Sources told the tabloid that Maxwell, 58, lives in the property of an unnamed Normandy-based millionaire business contact near the Israeli embassy, just a five minutes’ drive from the apartment formerly owned by Epstein. She is said to have gone out on several occasions, pulling a blanket around her face and shoulders to conceal her identity.
“Ghislaine is moving locations every month to keep private investigators off her tail and is staying at the residences of trusted colleagues and contacts,” an insider was quoted as saying, adding that she intends to stay in France for “as long as she can to take advantage of extradition laws”.
Her reported stay in Paris does not make her immune to prosecution, however, as Paris authorities are also investigating Epstein’s alleged crimes in France.
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
She was once Epstein’s girlfriend but remained close to him after they broke up. Several women have sued Maxwell for recruiting them to have sex with the financier and his powerful associates. Some of the alleged victims claim to have been underage at the time of the assault. It is believed that she introduced Epstein to Prince Andrew, and according to a new book she had an affair with Bill Clinton.
In 2015, Maxwell sued one of her accusers, Virginia Giuffre, for defamation. The case was settled two years later for an undisclosed sum in Giuffre’s favour.
Maxwell has been in hiding since Epstein’s arrest last summer. Her last known photograph dates back to 2016. A photo of the high-rolling businesswoman sitting in a Los Angeles eatery emerged last August but was later found to be doctored.
Although Maxwell has never faced charges in Epstein’s case, she is among those under FBI investigation for links to the late billionaire, who reportedly killed himself last August.
She has been communicating with the courts exclusively through her legal representatives and sued Epstein’s estate this March. In the lawsuit, she denied any role in or knowledge of his crimes and sought to recoup legal and security fees.