Epstein Files Drop New Names: How Musk & Prince Andrew Link Back to Malta’s Luxury Scene

Elon Musk and Prince Andrew Named in New Epstein Files – What It Means for Malta’s Elite Circles
By Hot Malta Newsroom

Valletta – When 900 pages of newly-released court papers linked Jeffrey Epstein to a fresh batch of global power-brokers this week, two names leapt off the docket: Elon Musk and Britain’s Prince Andrew. For most Maltese, the scandal feels oceans away—yet the ripples are already lapping at our limestone shores. From Portomaso yacht berths to St Julian’s crypto conferences, the Epstein reboot is forcing Malta to confront an uncomfortable truth: the island’s luxury playground has long doubled as a discreet intersection for the very world Epstein cultivated.

The files, unsealed in a New York federal court on Monday, do not accuse Musk or the Duke of York of criminal conduct. Instead, they catalogue flights on Epstein’s “Lolita Express” jet, calendar entries, and witness statements placing both men inside the financier’s orbit. Musk is described as a 2012 dinner guest at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse; Prince Andrew’s prior friendship is documented in even greater detail. Defence lawyers stress the distinction between “association” and “wrongdoing,” but in Malta—where the memory of Panama-Papers fallout still stings—distinctions can feel academic.

“Malta learned the hard way that international sleaze eventually shows up on our doorstep,” says Caroline Muscat, editor of investigative portal The Shift. “We’ve seen how a single passport-sale, a single yacht-refit, or a single photo-op can drag the whole country into someone else’s scandal.”

Indeed, the island’s Individual Investor Programme (IIP) and low-tax yacht-registration rules have made Grand Harbour a routine stop for super-yachts whose owners also appear on Epstein’s guest ledgers. The 78-metre “Tatoosh,” once linked to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, was spotted in Malta in 2018; court filings allege the vessel hosted Epstein-linked gatherings in the Caribbean. Last October, Prince Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson boarded a chartered yacht in Malta to promote a children’s-literacy charity—an irony not lost on commentators now revisiting every royal visit.

Local reaction has been swift. On Tuesday, Facebook group “Malta Against Corruption” super-imposed Epstein flight logs over a map of the Mediterranean, tagging Malta’s Freeport and the former Hilton yacht marina. The post racked up 3,200 shares in six hours. Meanwhile, TikTok influencer “TarxienTina” stitched BBC footage of Prince Andrew with her own 2015 clip from a Valletta reception where the Duke shook hands with Maltese scouts. “We were told it was an honour,” she tells followers. “Now it feels creepy.”

Tourism operators worry the optics could dent Malta’s carefully-polished luxury brand. “Russians are already staying away because of sanctions; Brits are our next-biggest market,” says one Sliema charter-broker who requested anonymity. “If high-net-worth visitors think Malta is shorthand for ‘Epstein-adjacent,’ they’ll simply reroute to Corsica or Cyprus.”

Others see a teachable moment. University of Malta sociology lecturer Dr Maria Pisani argues the Epstein files should prompt a wider conversation about Malta’s role in the “global care-chain of secrecy.” “We offer citizenship, banking discretion, flags of convenience—yet we rarely ask who benefits and at what moral cost,” Pisani says. “This is a chance to pivot from ‘Malta as loophole’ to ‘Malta as accountable hub’.”

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard declined to comment on individual names but told Times of Malta that Malta “remains committed to international cooperation against all forms of exploitation.” The government’s new Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit report, due next month, is expected to tighten due-diligence on residencies tied to high-risk jurisdictions.

For ordinary Maltese, the saga revives memories of the 2019 political crisis triggered by the Panama Papers, when protesters demanded accountability after politicians were linked to offshore accounts. “We’ve seen how easy it is for Malta to become a footnote in someone else’s scandal,” says activist group Repubblika. “The question is whether we’ll write our own ending this time.”

As mega-yachts begin their seasonal migration toward Malta’s marinas, the Epstein files serve as a cautionary tale: in a globalised world, even the smallest archipelago cannot remain an innocent bystander. Whether the named figures ever set foot here again is beside the point; their shadow now stretches across our azure horizon. For Malta, the real test is whether we confront the infrastructure—legal, cultural, economic—that allows such shadows to fall in the first place.