- READ MORE: Jeffrey Epstein secretly recorded sex tapes of Richard Branson
Sir Richard Branson has hit back at ‘baseless and unfounded’ claims that he was secretly recorded having sex by paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Sarah Ransome, who gave a victim impact statement ahead of the sentencing of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell for sex-trafficking, appeared to write communications claiming Branson was filmed by Epstein.
On behalf of Mr Branson, a Virgin Group spokeswoman said: ‘In a New Yorker report published in 2019, Ransome admitted that she had ‘invented’ the tapes.
‘We can confirm that Sarah Ransome’s claims are baseless and unfounded.’
The extracts were flagged by a firm representing Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, to demonstrate Ms Ransome ‘manifestly lacks credibility’.
Sir Richard Branson (pictured) has hit back at ‘baseless and unfounded’ claims that he was secretly recorded having sex by paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Ransome (pictured) appeared to write communications claiming Branson was filmed by Epstein
A US judge ordered hundreds of documents to be unsealed as part of Virginia Giuffre’s previously settled civil claim against Maxwell, which was filed in 2015.
In the document released as part of another tranche published on Monday, Ms Ransome wrote: ‘When my friend had sexual intercourse with Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson, sex tapes were in fact filmed on each separate occasion by Jeffrey.
‘Thank God she managed to get a hold of some footage of the filmed sex tapes, which clearly identify the faces of Clinton, Prince Andrew and Branson having sexual intercourse with her.
‘Frustratingly enough Epstein was not seen in any of the footage but he was clever like that!
‘When my friend eventually had the courage to speak out and went to the police in 2008 to report what had happened, nothing was done and she was utterly humiliated by the police department where she went to report what had happened with Epstein, Clinton, Branson and Prince Andrew.’
It was previously reported that Branson had breakfast with Epstein just three years after the paedophile was jailed for child prostitution, according to court documents.
In 2019 a spokeswoman for the billionaire Virgin founder said that the two men had ‘no personal or business relationship’.
But a bombshell legal document revealed that in 2011 Epstein emailed his private banker Jes Staley and the former Labour Cabinet Minister Peter Mandelson to tell them of his alleged meeting with Branson.
The document states: ‘On January 7, 2011 Epstein writes to Peter Mandelson (copying Staley) ‘had breakfast with Richard Branson, he is also a big fan of Africa’.
Epstein was a convicted sex offender at the time of the alleged meeting. In June 2008 he pleaded guilty to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Jeffrey Epstein (right) pictured with British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell (left)
On behalf of Branson, a Virgin Group spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm that Sarah Ransome’s claims are baseless and unfounded’
Epstein had a ‘little black book’ containing the names of 301 of Britain’s richest and most powerful people including Branson and Prince Andrew, it was claimed in 2019.
The paedophile cultivated an extraordinary cache of more than 1,000 phone numbers and email addresses for hundreds of famous names across the Atlantic.
A spokesman for Branson said previously: ‘Jeffrey Epstein has the island next door to Necker but Richard has literally only met him once for about five minutes. That’s the extent of it.’
A friend of Epstein claimed that Branson and Bill Gates would appear alongside the pedophile on a 2014 panel about the origins of money, it was reported in 2019.
Lawrence Krauss revealed this news in a 2013 email to Jim Simons, asking the famed mathematician if he might be interested in a spot on the same panel.
Krauss wrote to Simmons that Epstein was coordinating the panel on the Origins of Money, and said ‘right now he has Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Larry Summers on board.’
He closed out by stating ‘Jeffrey … would very much like to meet with you to discuss his ideas for the workshop.’
Simons ultimately declined the invite and the panel was ultimately cancelled, as was reported earlier by Buzzfeed News.
A spokesperson for Branson said previously: ‘Richard Branson was not invited to attend this event; he never agreed to appear on a panel and any suggestion of an association with Jeffrey Epstein is misleading and inaccurate.’
Clinton, Trump and Branson deny any knowledge of Epstein’s criminality.
