Retail tycoon Les Wexner has told lawmakers in the United States that he had been “duped” by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and denied any knowledge of his former financial adviser’s abuse of girls and young women.

Wexner, a former CEO and founder of Victoria’s Secret owner L Brands, made the statement on Wednesday in written testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is investigating Epstein and his ties to the US elite.

The Democrats on the panel had subpoenaed the 88-year-old billionaire after the latest release of Epstein-related documents by the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed new details about his relationship with the well-connected financier.

Five committee members travelled to Wexner’s home in Ohio to take a deposition from him in a closed-door session. He was questioned for six hours, and a video and transcript are to be released soon.

In his written statement, Wexner described Epstein as a “conman” and said he had been “naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust” in the convicted sex offender.

Wexner said he was introduced to Epstein in the mid-1980s and later hired him to manage his vast wealth acquired as the founder of L Brands, which also operated leading brands like The Limited, Express, Bath & Body Works, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Wexner said he had “irrevocably cut ties” with Epstein after learning that “he was an abuser, a crook, and a liar” around 2007, a year after the late financier was first arrested for soliciting prostitution from a minor in the state of Florida.

Wexner said his wife, Abigail, had discovered that “Epstein had stolen vast sums from our family”, and following this revelation, he never spoke to his former adviser again.

“While others visited Epstein in jail and associated with him after his release, I did not. Nor did I witness, condone, or enable his crimes in any way,” the statement said.

Democrats unconvinced

Some Democratic lawmakers, however, pushed back on Wexner’s narrative, given their long-running professional relationship.

“There is no single person that was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner,” Representative Robert Garcia, the committee’s ranking Democrat, told reporters outside Wexner’s home.

“We have also directly heard from survivors about Mr Wexner, his involvement, and their concerns about the enormous amount of money that was transferred over and paid to Mr Epstein. We know of over a billion dollars that was either transferred, provided in stocks, or given directly to Mr Epstein by Wexner,” he said.

Garcia noted that Wexner appeared to be “unaware” of much of the money given to Epstein and had downplayed their personal ties.

The pair were close enough that at one point Wexner gave Epstein power of attorney, according to the tycoon’s testimony. Wexner also admitted to visiting Epstein’s properties, like his private island, Little Saint James, albeit on one brief occasion while accompanied by his family.

Wexner also responded to allegations by the late victim Virginia Giuffre, who claimed in court documents that the billionaire was among the men Epstein trafficked her to. Wexner testified to utter devotion to his wife of 33 years, saying he had never once been unfaithful “in any way, shape, or form”.

Wexner, whose name appears more than 1,000 times in the Epstein files, was investigated by the FBI at least once, according to an email released by the DOJ.

The email indicates that in August 2019, the month that Epstein died while awaiting trial, the FBI was looking into Wexner as a potential “secondary coconspirator” in his crimes. The FBI said it had been in contact with Wexner’s lawyers, but there “was limited evidence regarding his involvement”.

Epstein’s death in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell was ruled a suicide.

‘I feel sorry’

In one of the newly released documents, Epstein sent rough notes to himself about Wexner, saying, “never ever, did anything without informing Les” and “I would never give him up”.

Another document, an apparent draft letter to Wexner, said the two “had ‘gang stuff’ for over 15 years” and were mutually indebted to each other – as Wexner helped make Epstein rich and Epstein helped make Wexner richer.

A spokesperson for Wexner told The Associated Press news agency that Wexner never received the letter and characterised it as fitting “a pattern of untrue, outlandish, and delusional statements made by Epstein in desperate attempts to perpetuate his lies and justify his misconduct”.

Wexner did not publicly reveal until after Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 that he had severed their relationship. While he said that happened in 2007, the Justice Department’s newly released records show the two were in touch after that.

Wexner emailed Epstein on June 26, 2008, after a plea deal was announced that would require him to serve 18 months in a Florida jail on a state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor to avoid federal prosecution. He wound up serving 13 months.

“Abigail told me the result. All I can say is I feel sorry. You violated your own number 1 rule always be careful,” Wexner wrote.

Epstein replied, “no excuse”.

Wexner’s spokesperson told the AP the 2007 date Wexner cited applied to firing Epstein as financial adviser, revoking his power of attorney and removing his name from Wexner’s bank accounts.

Food trucks arrive in area that has been cut off for two years as spate of deadly drone attacks hampers relief efforts.

United Nations aid trucks have reached an area in Sudan that has been cut off from relief efforts amid warnings that deadly drone strikes are making the hunger crisis in that part of the country worse.

The UN said on Wednesday that its aid trucks had reached Dilling and Kadugli, in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, with “life-saving” humanitarian supplies.

The World Food Programme (WFP) “transported more than 700 metric tons of food commodities to support nearly 70,000 people, including 21,000 mothers and children with specialized nutritious food to prevent malnutrition,” the UN said in a statement.

“Dilling and the nearby city of Kadugli have been largely cut off from aid for more than two years, leaving communities with severe shortages of humanitarian assistance,” the UN said.

The aid delivery came as more than 30 countries issued a statement on Wednesday expressing “grave concern” at a recent “severe escalation” in drone attacks amid “heavy fighting” in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

The 28 European Union countries, plus Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, warned that “intentional attacks” against aid workers and “wilfully impeding” relief supplies, “may amount to war crimes”.

The statement was issued after 28 people were killed and dozens more injured when drone-fired missiles hit the al-Safiya market in the town of Sodari in North Kordofan state on Sunday, according to monitoring group Emergency Lawyers.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk also issued a statement on Wednesday expressing alarm at the increase in drone attacks in the conflict.

“These latest killings are yet another reminder of the devastating consequences on civilians of the escalating use of drone warfare in Sudan,” Turk said.

“They also perpetuate a pattern that we have seen time and again in this conflict of attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure, including markets, health facilities and schools,” he added.

Turk said that at least 57 civilians had been killed in separate drone attacks on Sunday and Monday in four states across Sudan, including the attack on the market in Sodari, which he said was allegedly carried out by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

He also pointed to recent attacks attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on two primary schools and a hospital.

The heavy fighting in the Kordofan region comes as the Sudanese army and the RSF fight over the country’s vital east-west axis, which links the western RSF-held Darfur region, through el-Obeid, to the army-controlled capital, Khartoum, and the rest of Sudan.

After consolidating its hold on Darfur last year, the RSF has pushed east through the oil and gold-rich Kordofan region in an attempt to seize Sudan’s central corridor.

Five children among the dead as authorities warn of ongoing holiday safety risks.

An explosion at a fireworks shop in central China’s Hubei province has killed at least 12 people, state media reported, marking the second deadly blast linked to fireworks as the country celebrates the Lunar New Year.

The explosion tore through the shop in Xiangyang on Wednesday afternoon. Emergency crews extinguished the blaze soon after, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause but have not released further details.

Officials said five children and seven adults died in the explosion. The victims included the shop owner and customers who had been buying fireworks for holiday celebrations. Some had travelled from other areas to visit relatives during the festive period.

Fireworks remain a longstanding part of Lunar New Year traditions across China, where families set them off to usher in prosperity and ward off misfortune.

However, their widespread use has also led to repeated safety incidents.

On Sunday, another explosion at a fireworks shop in Jiangsu province killed eight people and injured two. Local authorities said a resident had ignited fireworks near the building before that blast.

Following the recent accidents, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management issued renewed safety warnings.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that “fireworks are still the biggest risks during the Spring Festival period,” and urged regional governments to strengthen oversight of the industry.

On Monday, the ministry instructed all regions to learn from the Jiangsu incident and tighten supervision, stressing the need to “resolutely prevent” similar accidents. Officials also called for comprehensive risk assessments and heightened vigilance during the holiday.

Many cities have previously imposed restrictions or outright bans on fireworks over air quality and safety concerns. In recent years, however, some local governments have eased blanket bans in favour of regulated use.