Epstein files rock Europe, trigger criminal probe into French diplomat
London: A French diplomat has become the latest target in a series of investigations into prominent Europeans with links to Jeffrey Epstein, raising concerns about the sex offender’s access to political and business leaders for more than a decade.
The French government asked prosecutors to investigate Fabrice Aidan for a possible criminal law violation after his ties to Epstein were revealed in dozens of documents released by the US Department of Justice.
Aidan, who works for the French diplomatic corps as well as the United Nations, Emailed Epstein from time to time he was responsible for arranging visitors to his homes in Paris or New York, and he also arrange dinner With a minister from the United Arab Emirates.
The latest documents include an email Aidan sent to Epstein: It was revealed that it contained a United Nations documentalthough the supplement was not released.
Reuters said it was unable to reach Aidan for comment through his social media account, and his LinkedIn account appears to have been deleted.
The investigation into the French diplomat comes just days after British police launched a further investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after new information about his links to Epstein emerged in US documents published on January 30.
Investigations into individuals linked to Epstein are currently ongoing in at least four countries (England, France, Norway and Poland). This does not include ongoing investigations by the Department of Justice in the United States.
This byline does not allege any wrongdoing by Aidan. Documents in the Justice Department’s latest files do not indicate that the French diplomat had any awareness of Epstein’s treatment of young women and his 2008 conviction for sexual intercourse with a minor.
Yet the files reveal messages Aidan sent to Epstein after the conviction, in which the American financier was released from prison and house arrest, highlighting Epstein’s ability to create effective networks.
An email in January 2011for example, it alleges that Aidan invited Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, to a dinner at Epstein’s home. It is unclear whether the meal took place.
Epstein’s interest in the UAE is a feature of various emails, including messages in November 2010 From Mountbatten-Windsor, who said she had recently met “Abdullah” and wanted to introduce Epstein to the UAE’s crown prince. The former prince was Britain’s trade envoy at the time and was in Dubai on an official visit.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the documents “extremely serious” and said he had launched an administrative investigation and referred the matter to prosecutors in accordance with the criminal code.
“These emails, including the transfer of UN documents, are surprising,” Barrot told French radio station RTL.
An email from Aidan to Epstein in May 2012 Although the attachment does not appear to have been released by the Department of Justice, it appears to include a United Nations document on Lebanon.
“Here it is,” Aidan wrote to Epstein. The subject line was: “15th semi-annual report 1559”. UN Security Council Resolution 1559 concerns Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Some of the French diplomat’s emails are copied to Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, who maintained a long-standing friendship with Epstein and now faces a Norwegian investigation into those ties.
Rød-Larsen’s wife, Mona Juul, who once served as Norway’s ambassador to the UN, resigned from her post at the foreign ministry after her name was revealed in the files.
Norway’s investigative agency, Økokrim, confirmed to Norwegian media that it had accused Juul of serious corruption and Rød-Larsen of being complicit in serious corruption. Investigators searched the couple’s home in Oslo on Monday.
The couple’s lawyers said they were cooperating with the investigation and that Rød-Larsen expected the charges to be dropped.
With the emergence of hundreds of emails from the latest Justice Department files over time, public figures across Europe are facing scrutiny or formal investigation for being in contact with Epstein when he was known to be a convicted sex offender.
Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologized last week for her friendship with Epstein, and former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland is also under investigation.
In France, former culture minister Jack Lang is under investigation after US files revealed a joint stake with Epstein in a Caribbean-based offshore company.
Lang, a socialist who served as a minister under François Mitterrand in the 1980s and 1990s, resigned as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris.
In Poland, authorities formed a working group to check Epstein’s contacts in Eastern Europe over concerns that he and his associates were recruiting young women for sex.
Police in the Czech Republic said they were investigating Epstein’s visits to their country, while a Slovakian minister resigned after recent documents showed he had friendly meetings with the sex offender.
Jagland’s lawyer, Anders Brosveet, said his client would cooperate with the investigation.
“He takes this matter very seriously but wishes to emphasize that he believes there are no circumstances that constitute criminal liability,” Brosveet said in a statement. he said.
via Reuters
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David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
