French ex-minister Jack Lang offers resignation from Paris cultural hub over Epstein links
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Mr Jack Lang has headed the Arab World Institute since 2013.
PHOTO: AFP
- Jack Lang offered his resignation as head of the Arab World Institute (IMA) due to links to Jeffrey Epstein.
- French prosecutors opened a preliminary case against Lang and his daughter regarding "laundering aggravated tax-fraud proceeds".
- Lang denies wrongdoing, welcomes the probe, and maintains his appeals to Epstein were solely as a philanthropist.
AI generated
PARIS – Former French culture minister Jack Lang offered his resignation on Feb 7 from his role as head of a prestigious Paris cultural centre over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in a letter to the Foreign Minister seen by AFP.
Mr Lang, who has headed the Arab World Institute (IMA) since 2013, is the most high-profile public figure in France caught up in the latest release of private messages from the paedophile New York businessman.
“I offer to submit my resignation” at the next board meeting, the 86-year-old wrote in a letter to Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on the eve of his summons to the Foreign Ministry.
His resignation offer came after French prosecutors on Feb 6 said they had opened a preliminary case against Mr Lang and his daughter Caroline over “laundering of aggravated tax-fraud proceeds” after they were mentioned in files related to Epstein.
Mr Barrot told reporters that he had taken note of Mr Lang’s offer and planned to launch the process to name an interim president of the IMA.
Before he offered his resignation, Mr Lang on Feb 7 told AFP that the accusations against him were “baseless” and he welcomed the probe.
“It will bring much light on to the accusations that are questioning my probity and my honour,” said Mr Lang, whose name appears more than 670 times in the released documents.
The 86-year-old has denied any wrongdoing, saying he was “shocked” that his name appeared in the statutes of the offshore company in 2016 and that he had appealed to Epstein only as a philanthropist.
His daughter, Ms Caroline Lang, has already resigned from her job as head of the Union of Independent Producers, which represents independent film producers in France.
A mere mention in the files does not imply wrongdoing. AFP
