French Police Raid Edmond de Rothschild Bank Offices Over Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

French police raided the Paris offices of Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild on Friday, March 20, 2026, as part of a corruption investigation targeting Fabrice Aidan, a former French diplomat and former bank employee with documented ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Pascal Prache, the French national financial prosecutor, confirmed the searches took place at the bank's Paris headquarters and at several other locations on the same day. The investigation centers on suspicions of passive corruption of a foreign public official and complicity in that offense, Prache said, without naming the official in question. Ariane de Rothschild, chief executive of the bank since 2023, was present at the headquarters during the search, according to sources close to the case cited by AFP. The probe was triggered in part by the release of U.S. Justice Department files from its investigation into Epstein, which included hundreds of emails between Aidan and the sex offender.

Aidan's name appears in over 200 Epstein documents Fabrice Aidan served as a French diplomat seconded to the United Nations from 2006 to 2013, and subsequently worked at Edmond de Rothschild from 2014 to 2016, when the bank dismissed him and he returned to the French foreign ministry. His name appeared in more than 200 documents published by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to N-tv. Some of the emails reviewed by Reuters showed confidential documents being passed to Epstein, including UN Security Council briefings, raising questions about the potential corruption of a foreign public official. Aidan denied any wrongdoing, according to N-tv. He had most recently been employed by French energy company Engie, which dismissed him in mid-March 2026 after the extent of his relationship with Epstein became public. The French Foreign Ministry separately initiated an administrative investigation and disciplinary proceedings against Aidan, adding a parallel track to the judicial probe.

Bank distances itself from Epstein, CEO faces scrutiny Edmond de Rothschild stated it is cooperating fully with the judiciary and said an internal investigation had been launched as soon as suspicions about the former employee emerged. The bank declined to provide further comment beyond that statement. The probe arrives as Ariane de Rothschild and the bank have sought to limit the reputational damage from their broader association with Epstein. The Wall Street Journal first reported in 2023 on the CEO's close relationship with Epstein, and Justice Department files released this year revealed that she and Epstein exchanged thousands of emails over seven years about personal and professional matters. In February 2026, de Rothschild wrote to bank clients stating she had only discovered the reality and extent of Epstein's crimes at the same time as the general public, and described the attention on her family as including what she called scandalous and unfounded accusations. After the bank dismissed Aidan in 2016, Epstein emailed de Rothschild in 2017 to discuss a settlement with the diplomat. „For Fabrice, no use to waste your time. He's a hopeless nutcase.” — Ariane de Rothschild via The Wall Street Journal

Investigation handed to France's elite anti-corruption unit The investigation was entrusted to the OCLCIFF, France's specialized anti-corruption and financial crimes unit, according to Le Soir citing the PNF. The disclosure of the Epstein files prompted France's foreign minister to call for an investigation, describing the facts as extremely serious, according to the Wall Street Journal. Aidan's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Journal reported. Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier, was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 in what authorities ruled a suicide. The U.S. Justice Department subsequently released thousands of documents from its investigation, revealing the breadth of Epstein's network of contacts across finance, politics, and diplomacy. The release of those files has prompted investigations and political fallout in multiple countries. The case has drawn attention to the intersection of French diplomatic service and private banking, given that Aidan moved directly from a UN posting to a role at one of Europe's most prominent private banks. A lawyer for Aidan did not respond to requests for comment at the time of reporting, and no charges had been formally filed against the bank itself as of the date of the searches.

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