Former French Culture Minister Resigns Amid Epstein Scandal and Money Laundering Probe

Tehran - BORNA  - Pressure for Lang’s resignation intensified after the U.S. Department of Justice released documents on January 30, revealing frequent correspondence between Epstein and Lang from 2012 until Epstein’s death in 2019.

Furthermore, France’s National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) confirmed that it has launched a preliminary investigation into Jack Lang and his daughter, Caroline Lang, on suspicion of "money laundering derived from tax evasion." French media outlets, including Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Mediapart, reported that the investigation was triggered by American documents uncovering years of financial ties and communication between the two parties.

Summons and Denial of Allegations

Jack Lang was reportedly scheduled to be summoned on Sunday to provide explanations to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees the IMA—a prominent cultural and research institution dedicated to promoting understanding of the Arab world.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Lang welcomed the investigation with "serenity and even a sense of relief," asserting: "The allegations against me are baseless, and I will prove this beyond the media frenzy and virtual courts."

Broadening Scope of the Epstein Files

A review of the Epstein documents by Reuters indicates that Jack Lang’s name appears more than 600 times in the files. The scandal has already impacted his family; on Monday, his daughter Caroline Lang, a veteran media executive, resigned from her position as head of the French Union of Independent Producers following the exposure of her own links to Epstein.

The disclosure of these documents has renewed global scrutiny of Epstein’s international network of public figures, which previously implicated individuals such as Prince Andrew of the UK, former British Ambassador Peter Mandelson, and Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

End Article