Former French culture minister Jack Lang has offered to resign as president of the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris after his name and that of his daughter, Caroline, appeared in newly released documents linked to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lang, 86, said he would formally submit his resignation at the next board meeting, following his summons to France’s foreign ministry.
French financial crimes prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into alleged laundering of aggravated tax-fraud proceeds connected to the Lang family, after their names surfaced in the Epstein-related files.
Okay News reports that Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot acknowledged Lang’s offer and said steps were being taken to appoint an interim head of the institute. Lang, who has led the IMA since 2013, insists the accusations are unfounded and says he welcomes the investigation to clear his name.
Lang maintains he had no wrongdoing and says he only knew Epstein as a philanthropist, adding he was shocked to see his name appear in offshore company documents. His daughter, Caroline, has already resigned from her role as head of France’s Union of Independent Producers. French authorities stress that being mentioned in the files does not in itself imply guilt, as investigations continue.
