French Prosecutor Opens Investigations and Calls for Testimonies from Jeffrey Epstein's Victims

The Paris prosecutor's office has taken unprecedented steps to clarify the French thread of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced the opening of two so-called framework investigations aimed at organizing the vast amount of data contained in 3.5 million documents made public by the U.S. justice system. The first proceeding concerns sexual acts and human trafficking, while the second focuses on financial irregularities and potential money laundering. French investigators emphasize that they have jurisdiction over any case in which the perpetrator or victim holds French citizenship, regardless of where the act was committed. The French penal code provides for the principle of extraterritoriality in the case of the most serious sexual crimes against minors, allowing the prosecution of French citizens for acts committed anywhere in the world.The scandal has led to sudden personnel changes in key cultural institutions. Jack Lang, former culture minister and until now president of the Arab World Institute (IMA), has resigned. This decision followed reports of his financial ties with Epstein, including donations to associations linked to the Lang family. The new IMA president is Anne-Claire Legendre, an experienced diplomat and advisor to President Emmanuel Macron. Her main task will be to restore transparency and trust in the institution, which has found itself at the center of a media storm. Police have already conducted searches at the Institute's headquarters in search of evidence of possible financial flows. „The publication of these files will inevitably reopen wounds for some victims, which is why we are ready to accept every testimony.” — Laure Beccuau3.5 million — documents concerning Epstein are being analyzed by the French justice systemSimultaneously, law enforcement is investigating threads related to the former modeling agency of Jean-Luc Brunel, an associate of Epstein who committed suicide in prison. The National Anti-Corruption Office is also involved in the case, examining complaints filed by the association Anticor against Lang. Investigators are analyzing, among other things, a transfer of 100,000 euros that allegedly went to a shell organization. This situation places the Socialist Party in a difficult position, as it has begun to distance itself from its former icon. The scale of the collected evidence suggests that the process of holding French elites accountable for their relations with the American financier will take many years. Development of the Investigation in France: — ; — ; — ; —