France Sets Up Special Team to Review Epstein Files for French Nationals

The Paris prosecutor’s office announced Feb. 14 that it is assembling a dedicated team of magistrates to sift through millions of pages of U.S. documents for evidence implicating French nationals in crimes connected to Jeffrey Epstein, according to The Guardian.¹

The team will coordinate with the national financial crimes unit and French police to determine whether the material warrants new criminal investigations, the prosecutor’s office said.¹² The stated objective is “to be able to extract any piece that could be usefully reused in a new investigative framework,” according to France 24.²

Three New Cases Referred

In addition to the broader review, the prosecutor’s office disclosed that three specific cases had been referred for investigation.²

The first involves Fabrice Aidan, a senior French diplomat whose name surfaced in the Epstein document cache. The French Foreign Ministry requested the inquiry after investigative outlet Mediapart and Radio France reported that Aidan exchanged emails with Epstein from 2010 to 2017.²³ Prosecutors are examining whether Aidan provided Epstein with diplomatic information or access to his international networks. Mediapart separately reported that the FBI had flagged Aidan for consulting child sexual abuse websites while posted at the United Nations in New York from 2006 to 2013.³ French energy company Engie, his most recent employer, suspended him following the revelations.³

The second case stems from a complaint filed by a Swedish woman against Daniel Siad, a model recruiter with ties to Epstein, alleging rape committed in France in 1990. Siad has denied wrongdoing.²

The third involves French conductor Frederic Chaslin, who faces a sexual harassment complaint related to alleged acts in 2016. Chaslin has called the complaint “unfounded” and defamatory.²

Brunel Case Reopened

The prosecutor’s office also announced it would re-examine the case of Jean-Luc Brunel, the former French modeling agency executive who was found dead in his Paris jail cell on Feb. 19, 2022, while awaiting trial.¹² Brunel founded the MC2 modeling agency and was accused of using it to recruit young women for Epstein. He was arrested in December 2020 at Charles de Gaulle Airport and charged with rape of minors, sexual assault and human trafficking. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging, and the case against him was dropped in 2023.²

French prosecutors had investigated Epstein’s activities in France since 2019, but Brunel’s death effectively ended their primary case.¹ The newly released documents may identify additional associates not previously known to French authorities.

Document Release Prompts Action

The French response follows the release of 3.5 million pages, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos of Epstein-related files by U.S. authorities under the Epstein Transparency Act, signed Nov. 19, 2025. The documents contain references to individuals across multiple countries, including Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who appeared more than 4,700 times in the files.

Epstein maintained a residence in Paris and frequently traveled to France, according to The Guardian.¹ Virginia Giuffre and other accusers stated they were trafficked to locations in France. The newly released communications, travel records and financial transactions may name French nationals not previously identified in the investigation.

Within days of the team’s formation, French prosecutors opened a probe into a diplomat and Paris police raided the Arab World Institute in connection with former Culture Minister Jack Lang, whose name appeared 673 times in correspondence with Epstein.³ The rapid sequence of actions represents the most significant French law enforcement response to the Epstein case since Brunel’s arrest in 2020.

The Paris prosecutor’s office did not specify a timeline for the team’s review or indicate how many additional investigations could result.¹

References

1. French prosecutors to set up special team to review Epstein files - The Guardian
2. French prosecutors announce special team for Epstein files - France 24
3. France demands investigation into diplomat cited in Epstein files - France 24