Ghislaine Maxwell selling London home ‘where Prince Andrew had sex with Virginia Roberts’ to pay for legal fees

GHISLAINE Maxwell is selling her London home where Prince Andrew is accused of having sex with Virginia Roberts – to cover legal fees.

The disgraced socialite who is being held without bail in a New York prison is hoping to sell the Belgravia mansion where similar properties have sold for between £2million and £8million.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she was brought to the house, a short walk from Hyde Park, in 2001 when she was 17 years old and was allegedly forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.

Prince Andrew has famously disputed the claims, insisting the photograph of him with his arm around ms Giuffre was faked.

Brian Basham, a spokesperson for the Maxwell family said the sale of the property is soon to be completed but has declined to name the buyer.

Homes in the area of different sizes have sold for between £2.6 million and £8 million in the past two years, the equivalent of $3.6 million to $11.2 million, according to property records.

However the sale has run into complications with Maxwell’s bank after it was closed in February, the day after lawyers deposited £130,000 an initial payment from the buyer.

BANK COMPLICATIONS

In a letter from the bank, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Barclays cited terms which forbid customers putting the bank in a position where it “might break a law, regulation, code or other duty.”

The Maxwell family has found a way to complete the house sale even though the bank account has been closed, Mr. Basham said.

Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley counted Epstein as a client when he was an executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

He made visits to Epstein at his private Caribbean island, the Journal has reported.

U.K. regulators opened an investigation into how Mr Staley characterized his relationship with the convicted sex offender to Barclays and how the British lender described it to the regulator.

A spokesman for the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority declined to comment on the investigation.

Mr Staley has insisted that his relationship with Epstein was strictly professional and began in 2000 when he was head of JPMorgan’s private bank and Epstein was a client.

Ian Maxwell, Ghislaine’s brother has hit out at Barclays, accusing the bank of closing her account to protect Mr Staley.

Maxwell’s lawyers have filed three motions demanding that she is released on bail, each with specific bail packages – all of which have been refused.

Her third request filed in February, proposes that the count appoint a monitor for her new account and to hold nearly all her cash and liquid assets “including any proceeds that result from the pending sale of Ms. Maxwell’s London house.”

The motion awaits a ruling by U.S District Judge Alison Nathan, who previously denied bail requests, claiming Maxwell was a flight risk and hadn’t been honest about her finances.