French prosecutor launches investigation into Epstein, invites victims to speak

Paris prosecutor Lawrence Beccau has said the investigations will be based on files published by the US administration, media reports and new complaints being submitted.

Professional journalism is public interest. Your support helps keep it independent and reliable. You too. One euro makes the difference.

These publications will certainly reactivate the trauma of some victims”, she said. “We are convinced that some victims are not necessarily known to us, and maybe these publications will motivate them to appear before”.

The move comes after publication by the US Department of Justice of over 3 million pages of documents, as well as thousands of videos and photos regarding Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

Beccawau has called for victims who may never before have spoken to file formal complaints or witness to assist French and foreign investigations.

Beccau has also said some materials from previous investigations will be revised in light of new revelations.

She was referring to the investigation into French Model agent Jean-Luk Brunel, charged with rape and sexual trafficking of minors.

The investigation into him was closed in 2022 after he was found dead in his prison cell in Paris. Brunel, a frequent companion of Epstein, is considered central to the French investigation into the sexual exploitation of women and girls by Epstein and his circle.

Epstein often traveled to France and had apartments in Paris.

In France, the highest profile figure affected by the recent publication of Epstein's files is former Culture Minister Jack Lang, 86, who has resigned this month as head of the Arab World Institute in Paris on suspicion of fiscal fraud.

The financial prosecution has opened an investigation into Lang and his daughter, Caroline Lang, of alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein. /Time/