Jack Lang Offers Resignation Amid Epstein-Linked Probe

Jack Lang, the veteran French politician and former culture minister, has offered to resign as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris following the launch of a preliminary investigation into alleged aggravated tax fraud and money laundering linked to his past contacts with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

French financial prosecutors announced the probe on Friday, targeting Lang and his daughter, Caroline Lang, after documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January revealed extensive correspondence between Lang and Epstein spanning from 2012 until Epstein's death in 2019. The files, which mention Lang's name more than 600 times, indicate regular interactions but do not implicate him in Epstein's sex trafficking crimes involving underage girls. Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial on federal charges, maintained connections with numerous public figures worldwide.

The investigation stems from reports detailing potential financial ties, including involvement with an offshore company in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a provision in Epstein's will naming Caroline Lang as a beneficiary of approximately 5 million euros. Both...