Veteran French politician Jacques Lange, a former minister, offered to resign from a key cultural post on Saturday as pressure mounts on him over the latest revelation of the Epstein files.
Former French minister Epstein offered to resign from Paris cultural center for linkLang, who has headed the Arab World Institute since 2013, is the most high-profile public figure in France to be caught up in the latest revelation of a convicted sex offender’s private messages.
He offered his resignation in a letter to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who told reporters he had noted Lang’s submission and planned to begin the process of naming an interim president of the IMA.
“I offer my resignation” at the next board meeting, the 86-year-old wrote in the letter, seen by AFP.
Lang was summoned to the foreign ministry on Sunday but that meeting has now been cancelled, a source close to the ministry said on condition of anonymity.
The offer to resign comes after French prosecutors said on Friday they opened a preliminary case against him and his daughter Caroline over “laundering the proceeds of past tax-fraud” after citing files related to Epstein.
Before he offered his resignation, Lang told AFP on Saturday that the allegations against him were “baseless” and that he welcomed the investigation.
“It will shed a lot of light on the allegations that are questioning my availability and my honor,” said Lang, whose name appeared more than 670 times in the released document.
The 86-year-old has denied any wrongdoing, saying he was “surprised” that his name appeared in the offshore company’s charter in 2016 and that he only appealed to Epstein as a philanthropist.
His daughter Caroline, a film producer, appeared as a beneficiary of five million euros in Epstein’s will, according to investigative website Mediapart.
He has already resigned as head of the Independent Producers Union, which represents independent film producers in France.
A mere mention in the files does not imply wrongdoing.
Lang is best known as a brilliant and visionary culture minister under Socialist President François Mitterrand in the 1980s and 90s.
In addition to launching popular events such as the annual “Fête de la Musique” street party that still exist today, Lang also oversaw major modern architectural projects such as the Louvre Pyramid and the Bastille Opera House.
– Pressure –
Public pressure on Lang increased over the week, despite insisting he had done nothing wrong and would not resign.
In a defense used by other Epstein associates, Lang insisted that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal behavior despite his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure on Thursday called on Lang to resign “to protect the institution he runs”.
The Arab World Institute promotes Arab culture from its prestigious Left-Bank headquarters, which often hosts some of the capital’s most talked-about exhibitions.
Lang said he introduced Epstein to American actor-director Woody Allen.
Le Monde newspaper and Mediapart said none of the files released by the US Justice Department suggested Lang or his daughter were involved in Epstein’s sex crimes.
Epstein owned a large apartment on Avenue Foch, a street in western Paris favored by the wealthy and famous, and was a frequent visitor to the French capital before his death in prison in 2019.
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