DOJ Has Yet to Turn Over Epstein Evidence as European Criminal Probes Expand

European criminal investigations sparked by the Jeffrey Epstein files are expanding, but authorities in several countries say key evidence remains in the hands of the U.S. Department of Justice months after they formally asked for help.

Poland has been waiting since April for unredacted Epstein records. Latvia says several requests have received no response. Norwegian prosecutors say their request has yet to be approved, while British investigators are still seeking records tied to a criminal investigation involving former U.K. ambassador Peter Mandelson.

The delays come months after the DOJ released nearly 3.5 million pages from its Epstein files to the public, creating a divide between what can be viewed online and what investigators say they still need from U.S. authorities to pursue criminal cases.

DOJ disputes any suggestion that it has refused to cooperate. A department spokesperson said last month that the agency had not refused assistance to any jurisdiction investigating potential criminal conduct connected to Epstein and remains committed to working with foreign authorities.

Polish prosecutors submitted their request in April after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced an investigation into possible Polish connections found in the Epstein files, including potential links between Epstein and Russian intelligence.

Przemysław Nowak, a spokesperson for Poland's National Prosecutor's Office, said authorities sought unredacted documents involving Polish aspects of the case. DOJ has not responded to the request, he said.

Norway's economic crime authority, Økokrim, is pursuing corruption cases involving former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland and former diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen following disclosures about their relationships with Epstein. All three deny wrongdoing.

Norwegian authorities have asked the DOJ for additional records and investigative steps involving the International Peace Institute in New York, where Rød-Larsen previously served as president. State prosecutor Marianne Bender said the two countries are communicating, but the U.S. has not approved the request.

Bender called the situation "very unfortunate" for the Norwegian investigation and said prosecutors hope the DOJ will eventually approve it.

Latvian State Police have also opened a criminal investigation based on information found in the Epstein files and identified one Latvian victim. Police spokesperson Simona Gravite said investigators have sent several mutual legal assistance requests to U.S. authorities but have received no responses.

Britain is seeking records in another criminal investigation stemming from the disclosures. Mandelson, a former senior government minister and ambassador to Washington, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he shared sensitive government information with Epstein. He was released on bail and has denied criminal wrongdoing.

British investigators had already sought unredacted Epstein material from U.S. authorities. After informal discussions failed to produce the records, authorities submitted a formal request, but reports in late August said DOJ and the FBI still had not provided them.

The growing number of requests exposes a gap between publishing the Epstein files and supplying evidence that investigators abroad can use in their own cases.

A document posted online can give police a lead, but prosecutors may need original records, unredacted versions, authenticated documents, testimony or evidence gathered directly in the United States before deciding whether a case can move forward.

Countries can obtain that material through mutual legal assistance, the formal system used to secure evidence located in another jurisdiction. DOJ's Office of International Affairs handles incoming requests and determines whether they meet U.S. law and treaty requirements.

The process can take weeks or months, particularly when requests involve large amounts of material, redactions, or records affected by court proceedings. DOJ generally does not disclose the status of individual requests, leaving no public timetable for the Epstein-related evidence sought by European investigators.

The department announced in January that it had released nearly 3.5 million pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, along with more than 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images. The material came from federal investigations involving Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's death and related cases.

Those releases have fueled investigations well beyond the United States as authorities examine Epstein's relationships with political figures, diplomats and others in their countries. The international probes have also created new demands for records collected by American investigators over more than two decades.

Epstein pleaded guilty to state prostitution-related charges in Florida in 2008. Federal prosecutors arrested him in 2019 on sex trafficking charges involving minors. He died in federal custody later that year in a death authorities ruled a suicide.

DOJ maintains that it has not refused assistance to jurisdictions investigating possible Epstein-related crimes. European investigators, however, remain without some of the evidence they have formally requested as several criminal probes continue to unfold.