In a significant move, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced Saturday the appointment of magistrates dedicated to meticulously examining the vast Jeffrey Epstein files. Their mission: to unearth potential criminal acts, especially those of a sexual or financial nature, committed by French citizens.
These revelations stem from nearly three million pages of documents, released last month by the U.S. Justice Department, which have sent ripples of shock across Europe and beyond. The sheer volume of material exposes numerous powerful and affluent individuals linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious financier and convicted sex offender.
The prosecutor’s statement on Saturday clarified that investigators are rigorously sifting through these newly unveiled documents. Their goal is to identify any evidence that could warrant formal investigations under French law.
Beyond this sweeping inquiry, the prosecutor’s office also confirmed receipt of three new complaints directly linked to the Epstein case.
Notably, prosecutors have initiated an investigation into Fabrice Aidan, a French diplomat, following a complaint lodged by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Aidan’s name surfaces over 200 times within the Epstein documents. However, merely being mentioned in these files does not equate to guilt, and officials noted that the complaint itself did not provide extensive details.
Mr. Aidan’s lawyer, Jade Dousselin, issued a statement via Agence France-Presse this week, asserting her client’s complete denial of all accusations and his readiness to cooperate fully with the courts.
A separate complaint was filed by a Swedish woman against Daniel Siad, another individual named in the Epstein documents. Prosecutors indicate the woman alleges Mr. Siad committed acts she describes as rape in France back in 1990.
Efforts to reach Mr. Siad for comment were unsuccessful. However, in a Tuesday interview on France 2 TV, he defended his association with Epstein, claiming that the financier ‘took advantage of my trust. He’s a gentleman, he knows how to talk, he’s a diplomat, I wasn’t in a position to know that this man was dangerous.’
The third complaint targets Frédéric Chaslin, a French conductor. While the complainant’s identity wasn’t disclosed, prosecutors confirmed the allegations involve sexual harassment in 2016 and are under review.
In a detailed Facebook statement, Mr. Chaslin explained that a mutual friend introduced him to Epstein. He described their interactions as brief and innocent, focused on securing patronage for his musical endeavors. Chaslin added, “As Epstein moved in the circles of New York’s intellectual elite, I did not dig into his past.”
Unlike some other European nations, such as the United Kingdom or Norway, where high-ranking officials and even members of royal families were implicated in ties to Epstein, France has yet to see significant political fallout from the scandal.
[Image: Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang with Jeffrey Epstein at the Louvre, as seen in a U.S. Justice Department video.]
However, the files have had repercussions for Jack Lang, a prominent French politician and former culture minister. A week prior, Lang stepped down as head of the Arab World Institute in Paris amidst investigations into alleged financial connections between him, his family, and Epstein.
“I am relieved that justice, true justice and not media or digital justice, is taking up this matter,” Lang stated in a Saturday interview with French news outlet La Tribune Dimanche. He continued, “I believe in the law. When it comes to Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, I am as white as snow, but it seems that this expression is so outdated that it backfires on you.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office further announced it would revisit the investigation into Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent and known Epstein associate who died in February 2022. The specific aspects of the reanalysis were not detailed.
Previous investigations into their communications revealed that Epstein frequently requested photographs of young girls from Brunel, especially during Brunel’s trips to Eastern European countries.
Ten women testified against Brunel, with several, some underage at the time, alleging they were forced to consume alcohol and sexually assaulted. One particularly damning account described Brunel as the conduit for bringing young girls to Epstein from Eastern Europe or Latin America.
A summary of the original investigation, released by the Paris prosecutor’s office, stated that some victims informed investigators they were coerced into sexual acts with both men due to their youth, the significant influence the men wielded, and the isolating nature of the opulent locations where these encounters took place.
This earlier investigation concluded in 2023 following Brunel’s death in his Paris jail cell, where he had been held in pretrial detention since December 2020 on charges including rape, rape of a minor, and sexual harassment.