Ex-prince Andrew suggested uranium investments to Epstein: BBC

A confidential UK government briefing forwarded by former trade envoy Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to Jeffrey Epstein in 2010 highlighted uranium among several “high value” mineral opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, according to a BBC report.The document, prepared by UK officials for Andrew during an official visit to Helmand that December, outlined investment prospects tied to “significant high value mineral deposits” and the “potential for low cost extraction,” including uranium, thorium, gold, iridium and marble, as well as possible oil and gas resources.In an accompanying email, Andrew described the material as a “confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province,” the BBC reported. The briefing was compiled at a time when Britain was militarily and politically engaged in rebuilding Afghanistan and seeking to encourage commercial development alongside reconstruction efforts.Afghanistan’s uranium potential has long been noted but remains undeveloped. Much of the country’s geological data derives from Soviet-era surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1980s, which identified uranium occurrences in several provinces, including Helmand. Subsequent assessments by the US Geological Survey have suggested Afghanistan hosts a broad range of strategic minerals, though few deposits have advanced beyond early-stage evaluation.Uranium market gathers momentum in 2026: SprottPotential new sourceGlobally, uranium production is concentrated in a limited number of jurisdictions. Kazakhstan accounts for the largest share of annual output, followed by Canada and Namibia. The nuclear fuel market is sensitive to geopolitical risk and supply concentration. Any new source of production, particularly in a frontier jurisdiction, would carry strategic implications.Any future extraction in Afghanistan would face substantial security, infrastructure and regulatory hurdles, in addition to strict international safeguards governing uranium trade. Uranium and thorium are dual-use materials: while uranium underpins civilian nuclear power generation, it is subject to global non-proliferation oversight and export controls.The Afghan briefing was one of several official trade-related documents Andrew appears to have shared with Epstein during his tenure as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011, the BBC said.Emails reviewed by the broadcaster suggest additional reports from official visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam were also sent, along with further compressed files labelled “Overseas bids.”‘Appalling behaviour’Sir Vince Cable, who was Business Secretary at the time, described the sharing of the Helmand briefing as “appalling behaviour,” according to the BBC.Thames Valley Police said it is assessing whether a criminal investigation is warranted. In a statement, the force said it is engaging with specialist Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors and that allegations of misconduct in public office involve “particular complexities.”Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing in relation to his association with Epstein and has rejected suggestions that he used his role as trade envoy to further personal interests. He has not publicly responded to the BBC’s latest report.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com