PARIS, Feb 7 - Jack Lang, the former French culture minister, has resigned from his role as president of the Arab World Institute after revelations of past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and the initiation of a financial inquiry, the French Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, the French Financial Prosecutors Office opened an investigation into Jack Lang and his daughter Caroline on suspicion of aggravated tax fraud laundering. The opening of the probe followed the release on January 30 of files by U.S. authorities that showed intermittent correspondence between Epstein and Lang from 2012 through 2019, the year Epstein died by suicide in jail.
French outlets including Le Monde, Le Figaro and Mediapart reported that the preliminary inquiry was launched after U.S. documents revealed years of written exchanges and alleged financial links between Lang and Epstein. The prosecutors office confirmed an investigation had been opened but supplied no further details.
Under the supervision of the Foreign Ministry, which oversees the Arab World Institute - a Paris-based cultural and research institution dedicated to promoting understanding of the Arab world - Lang had been summoned to report on Sunday, the ministry said.
Lang has publicly rejected any wrongdoing as the legal process begins. Posting on X, he said he welcomed the investigation "with serenity and even relief." He added: "The accusations levelled against me are baseless, and I will demonstrate this, beyond the sound and fury of the media and digital courts."
Reports indicate Lang's name appears more than 600 times in the Epstein files, according to a review of those documents. The disclosures have also prompted Caroline Lang, a long-time media executive, to step down from her post as head of France's Independent Production Union after her own links to Epstein emerged.
Jack Lang's lawyer told BFM TV that he would "prove that he is not involved in any malpractice or criminal offence". Laurent Merlet, speaking for Lang, also said: "There has been no movement of funds ... But I think it is normal for the justice to want to verify this."
The release of the documents has drawn renewed attention to Epstein's international contacts. The file dump has increased scrutiny of his ties to a number of public figures, including Britain's Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - the younger brother of King Charles - Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the United States, and Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Context and next steps
The immediate consequences include Lang's resignation from a prominent cultural post and the initiation of formal judicial inquiries. The investigation into both Jack Lang and his daughter is at an early stage; authorities have confirmed the inquiry but have not released detailed findings or next procedural steps. Lang has been summoned to meet with the Foreign Ministry as part of the institutional response to the revelations.
As legal verification proceeds, media coverage and institutional oversight of the Arab World Institute and related cultural entities are likely to continue. Caroline Lang's resignation signals the reputational impact of the disclosures on media and cultural sector leadership.