Paris prosecutor invites potential victims to come forward

Paris, France

On Wednesday, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau invited potential victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to come forward or file complaints, as five Parisian magistrates investigate possible crimes committed in France or involving French victims or perpetrators.

The publication of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, will “inevitably reopen the trauma of certain victims, some of whom (…) are not necessarily known to us,” Laure Beccuau told franceinfo.

“We already want to be there for these victims” and “if they wish, we will receive any statements they would like to make, either through complaints or testimonies,” Ms. Beccuau assured.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office “has specific jurisdiction,” “either when the perpetrators are French,” and “including when the acts are committed abroad,” “or when the victims are French,” its chief prosecutor pointed out. In the event that Paris does not have jurisdiction, the public prosecutor’s office “will forward everything” to the authorities that do.

On Saturday, the prosecutor’s office announced that it had referred the case to magistrates to analyze possible offenses involving French nationals, “particularly of a sexual or financial nature.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor returned to these two “framework investigations,” which will enable the analysis of millions of documents, notably with the assistance of the Anti-Cybercrime Office (Ofac) and the use of open sources such as press articles. “We are going to weave all of this mass of data together,” summarized Ms. Beccuau.

On Saturday, the public prosecutor’s office also announced that it would conduct “a complete reanalysis of the investigation file” of former model agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who died in custody in 2022. The purpose of this ‘reanalysis’ is to potentially “extract any evidence that could be usefully re-examined in the new investigation,” according to the public prosecutor’s office.

The investigation, in which Mr. Brunel had been placed under investigation, was closed without further action in July 2023 following his death. No other individuals were placed under investigation in this case.

The magistrates are also looking into a report by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, concerning allegations against diplomat Fabrice Aidan, who exchanged dozens of emails over several years with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the documents consulted; model recruiter Daniel Siad, following a complaint of rape; and conductor Frédéric Chaslin following a complaint of sexual harassment.

The public prosecutor’s office also said it was working in coordination with the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF), which in early February opened a preliminary investigation into “aggravated tax fraud laundering” targeting former Minister of Culture and now ex-president of the Arab World Institute (IMA) Jack Lang and his daughter Caroline Lang, who are also mentioned in the “Epstein Files.” As part of this investigation, the IMA and Mr. Lang’s home were searched on Monday.

-British police appeal for witnesses on human trafficking charges

London, United Kingdom

British police on Wednesday appealed for witnesses on charges of human trafficking and sexual assault of a minor in the 1990s, mentioned in files linked to American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement, Surrey Police (southeast England) said it had “taken note” of an redacted FBI report containing allegations of “human trafficking and historical sexual assaults on a minor” between 1994 and 1996 in the village of Virginia Water.

They called on anyone with information to come forward, saying they had “found no trace of these allegations” in their records due to limited information.

They also did not mention any names.

However, British media reported that the names of disgraced Prince Andrew, brother of King Charles III, and Epstein’s partner and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, appear in the report.

According to these reports, the accusations were made by an anonymous witness, who claimed that a woman was tied to a table and “tortured with electric shocks” while the disgraced prince and other men watched.

The report was made public in December when the US Department of Justice released a first batch of documents relating to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a case that has had multiple repercussions around the world.

Former Prince Andrew, who was accused of sexually assaulting 17-year-old American Virginia Giuffre—who committed suicide in April 2025—was stripped of his royal titles in October for his ties to the American financier. He has always denied any wrongdoing.

Several British police forces are currently investigating allegations contained in these new Epstein files, or revelations that have emerged since their publication.

Thames Valley Police, where the Royal Lodge residence where the former prince lived for years is located, is looking into allegations that Andrew had sex with a second woman sent by Epstein in 2010, as reported by the alleged victim’s lawyer.

Other police forces are looking into Andrew’s potential role in the arrival of flights in the United Kingdom carrying women sent by Epstein, or in the transmission of confidential information to the financier when he was special envoy for international trade.

Breaking news: Former Prince Andrew reportedly arrested by British police

Humaniterre with AFP