President Emmanuel Macron Monday distanced France from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, saying it “mainly concerns” the United States after ex-minister Jack Lang resigned from a top cultural post over links to the late sex offender.
His remarks came after Lang on Saturday offered to leave his post at the Arab World Institute following a decision by French prosecutors to open a preliminary tax fraud probe into him and his daughter Caroline after they were 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,” Macron said.
The French president also called for “real journalism”, noting the dump of government files on Epstein had created “fuel for conspiracy theories”.
Lang, 86, 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 his 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 had only appealed to Epstein as a philanthropist.
His daughter Caroline, who allegedly owned half the shares in the company, resigned Monday from the board of the Fondation Le Refuge, dedicated to housing and supporting LGBTQ youth who have been estranged from their families.
She had previously 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 three million items made available at the end of January.
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