'No one above law' in Epstein case, UN experts say

United Nations' experts on Friday said no person should be above the law as they urged a full investigation following the release of legal documents detailing people linked to accused sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Earlier this month, a New York judge began to unseal the identities of those linked in the documents to Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex crimes.

Included in the files, comprising almost 1,000 pages of depositions and statements, were former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, who have not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

The UN special rapporteurs on violence against women and sexual abuse of children, evoked the unsealing of the documents and warned that "no person should be above the law and beyond the reach of justice".

"All those who may have participated in, or aided and abetted, these heinous crimes of violence against women and children, including through paying for sex and pimping, must be brought to justice," UN experts Reem Alsalem and Mama Fatima Singhateh said.

Epstein, a financier with a powerful network in the United States and abroad, was himself accused of raping young girls, but his suicide halted his prosecution.

The list of around 150 people includes a host of Epstein associates previously identified as John or Jane Does in a lawsuit brought against Epstein's former mistress, Ghislaine Maxwell.

It carries no allegation of complicity in Epstein's crimes.

"The way in which this case is dealt with by law enforcement and the judiciary will set an important precedent for the future," said the experts who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, but do not speak on behalf of the organisation.

They added probing Epstein's case "will either send the message that such crimes against women and children are unacceptable or confirm that power and connections will shield those responsible from accountability."