French police on Monday searched the Arab World Institute in Paris in connection with an investigation into its former head, ex-culture minister Jack Lang, and his alleged ties with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The raids targeted multiple locations beyond the institute itself as prosecutors intensified a preliminary inquiry into suspected tax fraud and money laundering implicating both Lang and his daughter Caroline.
Searches were carried out at the Arab World Institute and various other locations as part of an investigation into aggravated tax fraud and money laundering, the national financial prosecutor’s office announced. The raid occurred as Lang said goodbye to former colleagues in a ceremony at the institute after more than a decade as its president. “I’m pleased to see the financial judiciary is at work,” he said during his speech. The investigation centers on Epstein Files documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice beginning in December showing years of sustained correspondence between Epstein and prominent French figures. Lang’s name appeared 673 times in correspondence with Epstein between 2012 and 2019, an unusually dense pattern of communication that prompted prosecutors to open a formal preliminary investigation on February 6 into “laundering of aggravated tax fraud.”
The investigation centres on Prytanee LLC, an offshore company founded in 2016 in the US Virgin Islands. Caroline Lang held 50% of shares in the company, which held $1.4 million in its accounts and was presented as a fund to support young artists. Caroline Lang, a film producer, resigned as head of the Independent Production Union on 3 February, three weeks after her appointment. She described Epstein as an “acquaintance” and said she had been “incredibly naive,” but insisted she received “no remuneration, nor any benefit” from the fund.
She also appeared in a will signed by Epstein two days before his death in 2019, promising her $5 million, which she said she was unaware of and never received. The inclusion in Epstein’s will two days before his suicide triggered additional scrutiny given the timing and the unsubstantiated nature of any underlying relationship that would justify such a bequest.
Lang, 86, served as culture minister from 1981 to 1986 and again from 1988 to 1993, and is credited with launching France’s annual Fête de la Musique festival. He had led the Arab World Institute since 2013. Lang had been summoned to report on Sunday to the Foreign Ministry, which supervises the Arab World Institute, a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu summoned Lang to the Foreign Affairs Ministry before he resigned on 8 February.
Documents revealed by U.S. authorities contain email exchanges between Lang and Epstein discussing a Morocco property deal. Files show Lang and Epstein corresponded between 2012 and 2019, discussing matters including a Morocco property priced at “€5.4 million, offshore.” “I do not remember this story very well,” the former culture and education minister said, adding he believed he only relayed a seller’s demands. Lang had requested favors from Epstein including use of his vehicle or private plane for himself or family members, according to Radio France Internationale.
Both Jack and Caroline Lang have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or receiving financial benefits from Epstein.
Their lawyer, Laurent Merlet, told French broadcaster BFMTV this month that “there was no movement of funds.” Lang said earlier on X that he welcomed the investigation “with serenity and even relief.” “The accusations levelled against me are baseless, and I will demonstrate this, beyond the sound and fury of the media and digital courts,” he added. Jack Lang said he met Epstein through film director Woody Allen about 15 years ago and was “completely shocked” when he discovered the financier’s crimes. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl and died by suicide in 2019 in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Fallout from the release of millions of new documents related to Epstein has rippled through Europe. On Saturday, Paris prosecutors set up a dedicated team to review the files, coordinating with the financial prosecutor and national police. The Paris prosecutor’s office on Saturday announced that it was setting up a special team of magistrates to analyse evidence that could implicate French nationals in the crimes of the convicted sex offender Epstein.
The new team will work closely with prosecutors from the national financial crimes unit and police with a view to opening investigations into any suspected crimes involving French nationals, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The aim is “to be able to extract any piece that could be usefully reused in a new investigative framework.” Prosecutors said an investigation had shown Brunel was “a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein” who had offered modelling jobs to young girls from poor backgrounds. Brunel had engaged in sexual acts with underage girls in the United States, the US Virgin Islands, Paris and the south of France, they said. Ten women had made accusations against Brunel, several describing forced sexual penetration after being made to drink alcohol.
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At the request of the French foreign ministry it was looking into the reported appearance of senior diplomat Fabrice Aidan in the Epstein files. Aidan, who worked at the United Nations from 2006 to 2013, is alleged to have transferred UN documents to Epstein and has rejected the accusations through his lawyer.
The Arab World Institute’s board of directors is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss Mr Lang’s replacement. A candidate is expected to be put forward by the Foreign Ministry to the board, which includes seven Arab ambassadors and seven senior French diplomats.
The Arab World Institute, a landmark cultural center opened in 1987 on the left bank of the Seine, is jointly funded by France and 22 Arab nations. It houses exhibitions, language courses, a research library, and serves as a diplomatic meeting point between France and Arab governments. Lang’s abrupt resignation has created both a governance crisis and reputational damage to an institution that depends on maintaining credibility across multiple diplomatic constituencies.