French President Emmanuel Macron Monday has distanced the counntry from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, saying it “mainly concerns” the US.
His comments came after French ex-culture minister Jack Lang resigned from a top cultural post over links to the late sex offender.
On February 7, Lang offered to leave his post at the Arab World Institute following a decision by French prosecutors to open a preliminary tax fraud probe of him and his daughter Caroline. That came following their being mentioned in files related to Epstein.
“This is a matter that mainly concerns the United States,” Macron said, adding he did not want to “take part” in the public debate on the Epstein affair.
“The justice system there must do its job, and that’s all,” he said.
The French President also called for “real journalism”, noting the publication of government files on Epstein had created “fuel for conspiracy theories”.
Lang is the most high-profile public figure in France caught up in the latest release of private messages from the convicted sex offender.
When asked about the ex-minister’s decision to resign, Macron said he had taken note of it, adding the choice was made “in good conscience”.
Lang has denied any wrongdoing, saying he was “shocked” that his name appeared in the statutes of an offshore company that Epstein founded in 2016, and that he had had only appealed to Epstein as a philanthropist.
His daughter Caroline, who allegedly owned half the shares in the company, has already resigned from her job as head of the Union of Independent Producers (SPI), which represents independent film producers in France.
A mere mention in the files does not imply wrongdoing.
Top US prosecutor Todd Blanche said on February 1 that authorities would not bring any more charges after the release of more than 3 million items made available at the end of January.
