By Gianluca Lo Nostro
PARIS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - France has launched wide-ranging investigations into human trafficking and financial fraud among contacts of the late convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following the release of a trove of files on his activities.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told France Info radio on Wednesday that the investigations will rely on publicly available material alongside complaints filed by child protection groups.
One will focus on human trafficking, the other on crimes including money laundering, corruption and tax fraud.
Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019, had been convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted in the U.S. of trafficking underage girls for sexual abuse over many years in connection with Epstein.
FRANCE HOPES VICTIMS OF EPSTEIN SEX ABUSE WILL COME FORWARD
In an emailed statement, Beccuau's office said it hoped publicity surrounding Epstein might encourage victims of trafficking who had not come forward previously to do so now.
Five prosecutors will trawl published files for indications that any French nationals may have been involved in sexual or financial offences.
Authorities have already opened a preliminary probe into former culture minister Jack Lang and his daughter Caroline on suspicion of tax fraud.
They are also examining three other cases, including suspicions that French diplomat Fabrice Aidan transferred United Nations documents to Epstein. Aidan has denied the allegation.
The documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice include flight logs and emails indicating that Epstein often visited Paris, where he owned a luxury apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.
"France has a key role in the matter as it is the only country outside the United States where Epstein owned property," said Homayra Sellier from Innocence en danger, a group campaigning against sexual abuse of children that had been calling for a new French probe.
French prosecutors had opened an investigation into Epstein's connections in 2019, but closed it in 2023 after Jean-Luc Brunel, a key suspect and longtime Epstein associate, died in a French prison.
They acknowledged the current data remains incomplete, describing the investigations as "titanic work, without knowing what will come of it".
On Tuesday, a U.N. Human Rights Council panel of independent experts suggested the existence of a "global criminal enterprise" tied to Epstein's network, alleging acts potentially constituting crimes against humanity.
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
