The scandal involving American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking of minors, affects names in the government of French President Emmanuel Macron.
On Tuesday (10), French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot reported that he had forwarded requests for an investigation against diplomat Fabrice Aidan.
“Tonight, I am forwarding the matter to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in accordance with Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, to inform them of the alleged facts involving Mr. Fabrice Aidan. I am also opening an administrative inquiry to contribute to the work of Justice and initiating a disciplinary process,” Barrot wrote in X.
According to information from the France-Presse agency (AFP), the minister previously said that Fabrice Aidan is Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs, but is on leave for “personal reasons”.
According to the French agency, he worked at the energy group Engie, which suspended him after it was revealed that his name appears more than 200 times in exchanges of messages with Epstein released by the American Department of Justice (DOJ).
The contacts occurred when Aidan worked at the French representation at the United Nations in New York, and the diplomat allegedly sent UN documents and reports to Epstein.
The websites 20 Minutes and Mediapart also reported that the FBI investigated Aidan for allegedly viewing child pornography on the internet in 2013. The diplomat has not yet commented on the matter.
In an interview with RTL radio this Wednesday (11), Barrot said he cannot “rule out” the possibility of more French diplomats being involved in the Epstein case.
Last weekend, former Culture Minister Jack Lang resigned as president of the French government-funded Arab World Institute after it was revealed that he had financial links to Epstein. Speaking to AFP, he said that accusations of tax fraud due to these links “are unfounded”.
