France’s former culture minister resigned from his leading role at a French cultural institute, Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), after the US Department of Justice’s recent “Epstein files” release revealed financial links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a tax investigation.
Jack Lang, who served as cultural minister in under president François Mitterrand, is accused of laundering tax fraud proceedings after his name was found referenced in the files over 600 times. He is currently the highest profile French official implicated in Epstein’s dealings.
Lang has denied accusations pending the investigation, stating in his resignation letter, “The accusations against me are inaccurate, and I will prove it, beyond the noise and fury of the media and digital courts.”
Reports last Saturday confirmed Lang’s resignation from IMA, which is overseen by the French Foreign Ministry. Lang sent his resignation to the ministry after Paris prosecutors opened an inquiry into his alleged Epstein ties.
Prosecutors also opened an investigation into Lang’s daughter, film producer Caroline Lang, on suspicion of “aggravated tax fraud laundering.” Her name was referenced over 900 times in released files, and reports have identified her as a beneficiary of €5 million in Epstein’s will. Records indicate she co-founded an offshore company with the sex offender in 2016 that invested in the work of young artists. She resigned from her post at the Independent Producers Syndicate and has said she was horrified to learn of Epstein’s criminal acts.
With these resignations, the judicial process is stripped of the barriers imposed by institutional hierarchy, preventing the weight of public office from functioning as a mechanism of influence or creating conflicts of interest during judicial proceedings.
Since 2019, US courts have ordered federal officials to unseal millions of documents related to Epstein, his personal and financial operations. The releases have sparked multiple investigations into high-profile figures for crimes such as sex trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy, among others.
