"Immediate action demanded by Lim Guan Eng towards Akmal Saleh due to flag controversy"
In a significant development, Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan has denied the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the Jeffrey Epstein case on August 20, 2025. This decision follows a similar denial by a judge in the Ghislaine Maxwell case earlier this year.
The ruling effectively blocks the public release of grand jury testimony in both the Epstein and Maxwell cases for the foreseeable future, barring any successful appeals. The courts emphasized protecting victims' privacy and maintaining secrecy as key reasons for the refusal.
The case in question is the criminal case against Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, who was moved to a lower security prison, was convicted in 2021 for recruiting underage girls for Epstein. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence.
Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, was the centre of intense interest among Trump's supporters for years. The president's name was found among hundreds in the Justice Department review of the "Epstein files," but there has not been evidence of wrongdoing.
The Justice Department had sought the release of grand jury transcripts in both Epstein's and Maxwell's cases. However, Judge Berman stated that the transcripts contain limited information, primarily from a single FBI agent witness whose testimony was mostly hearsay and who had no direct knowledge of the case facts. The judge also noted that the government failed to show special circumstances to justify unsealing and suggested the request was a diversion from the larger set of investigative materials the government already holds.
Interestingly, the transcripts do not identify anyone other than Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein as having had sexual contact with underage girls. They do not contain an "untapped mine lode of undisclosed information" about Epstein, Maxwell, or their associates, as the judge wrote. Most of the information in the transcripts is already public record.
It's worth noting that Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, met with Maxwell but has not revealed what was discussed. The judge's decision was in response to the Justice Department's request to unseal the grand jury transcripts from Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal case.
The Justice Department plans to release related documents to Congress soon, but the grand jury transcripts themselves remain sealed. The dismissal of the government's arguments for releasing the transcripts, stating that they do not contain meaningful new information about Epstein's or Maxwell's crimes, was made by District Judge Paul Engelmayer earlier this year.
[1] New York Times, "Judge Denies Justice Department's Request to Unseal Grand Jury Transcripts in Ghislaine Maxwell Case", August 20, 2025. [2] CNN, "Court Rejects Justice Department's Request to Unseal Grand Jury Transcripts in Epstein Case", August 20, 2025.
- The Justice Department had sought the release of grand jury transcripts in both the Epstein and Maxwell cases, but Judge Berman's decision blocked their public release.
- The courts emphasized the protection of victims' privacy and the maintenance of secrecy as key reasons for the denial of the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury transcripts in the Maxwell and Epstein cases.
- The judge stated that the transcripts contain limited information, primarily from a single FBI agent whose testimony was mostly hearsay and who had no direct knowledge of the case facts.
- While the Justice Department plans to release related documents to Congress soon, the grand jury transcripts themselves remain sealed, as the judge dismissed the government's arguments for releasing them, stating that they do not contain new information about the crimes of Epstein and Maxwell.
