French police raid Arab World Institute in latest Epstein investigation fallout
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French police raided the headquarters of the Arab World Institute on Monday as part of an investigation into a former government official’s links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Authorities searched the Paris headquarters as well as several other locations, according to the National Financial Prosecutor. Investigators were seeking documents relating to former culture minister Jack Lang, who previously served as chairman of the AWI until he resigned last month. AWI is part of the French foreign ministry.
Both Jack and Caroline Lang have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or receiving financial benefits from Epstein. Their lawyer, Laurent Merlet, told French broadcaster BFMTV this month that there was “no movement of funds”.
The fallout from the release of millions of new documents related to Epstein has spread across Europe. On Saturday, Paris prosecutors set up a special team in coordination with the financial prosecutor and the national police to examine the files.
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French police officers patrol in front of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA – Arab World Institute) in Paris on February 16, 2026, during a search conducted as part of investigations handed over to the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) regarding the Epstein case linked to its president Jack Lang. (Photo: Charlotte SIEMON / AFP via Getty Images)
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a letter Saturday that “all” Epstein files have been released in compliance with Section 3 of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“In accordance with the requirements of law and as disclosed in the Department’s various applications filed with the courts of the Southern District of New York, Epstein and Maxwell cases “The Department has released all ‘records, documents, communications, and investigative materials’ in the Department’s possession that ‘relate’ to any of nine different categories,” the letter said. The statement was included.
The letter includes a list of more than 300 high-profile names, including President Donald Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama, Prince Harry, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Kurt Cobain, Mark Zuckerberg and Bruce Springsteen.
Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill and takes questions from Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram ahead of a House hearing. (Tom Williams)
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Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the list of names includes “all individuals who (1) are or were a government official or politically exposed person and (2) whose names appear at least once in files released under the Act,” the letter said, adding that the names appear “in a wide variety of contexts.”
The letter noted that some of the names mentioned had “extensive direct email contact with Epstein or Maxwell,” while others were “mentioned in a section of a document (including press reports) seemingly unrelated to the Epstein and Maxwell matters.”
The Department of Justice released multiple Epstein documents on December 19, after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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The document includes records regarding Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; references to individuals (including government officials) connected to Epstein’s activities; and documents related to civil settlements and legal decisions, such as immunity agreements, plea agreements, non-prosecution agreements, and sealed dispositions.
Reuters contributed to this report.
