France's National Prosecutor's Office for Financial Crimes said it had opened an investigation into former Culture Minister Jacques Lange and his daughter Caroline Lange on suspicion of "laundering money obtained through aggravated tax evasion," in a move linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Pressure is mounting on Lang to resign as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris after documents released last week by the US Department of Justice show that Epstein and Lang occasionally exchanged correspondence between 2012 and the financier's death in 2019, when he committed suicide in prison, Reuters reports.
French media, including Le Monde, Figaro and Mediapar, reported that a preliminary investigation had been opened after US Justice Department documents revealed years of correspondence and financial ties between Lang and Epstein, including offshore arrangements.
The prosecutor's office confirmed that an investigation had been opened, but did not provide further details.
Jacques Lang, who denies any guilt, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is the competent authority of the Arab World Institute - a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world.
"Jacques Lang was a minister - secretary of state, he will make a decision according to his conscience," his lawyer Laurent Merle told BFM television, responding to calls for Lang to leave the institution.
Lang's name is mentioned more than 600 times in Epstein's documents, according to a Reuters review of the documents. On Monday, Lang's daughter Caroline resigned as president of the French Union of Independent Producers after her ties to Epstein also emerged.
"Jacques Lang believes that the presentation of the facts is very unfair, but he is a fighter and will provide both his supervisory authority and the courts with all necessary explanations to prove that he was not involved in any abuse or criminal act that could be attributed to him," his lawyer said.
"There was no movement of money... But I think it's normal for the judiciary to want to check that," he added, stating that he hopes the prosecutor will act quickly.
The leaked documents have heightened scrutiny of Epstein's global connections to public figures, including Britain's Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles, and Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States.
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