France’s foreign minister has notified prosecutors of a mid-ranking French diplomat who had ties to Jeffrey Epstein and is suspected of transferring United Nations documents to the convicted sex offender. Fabrice Aidan’s name appears in more than 200 documents released by the U.S. Justice Department, including emails he sent to Epstein between 2010 and 2016 from his personal and U.N. accounts, Reuters reports.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his ministry had launched its own administrative investigation and disciplinary proceedings against Aidan, and described the allegations as “extremely serious”.
Prosecutors in Paris will decide whether to open a criminal investigation. The UN documents in question include UN Security Council briefings and reports. A transcript of a phone call between former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Turkey’s foreign minister that Aidan sent to a superior was later forwarded to Epstein.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the allegations of corruption and disclosure of confidential information would be dealt with “in accordance with the legal and policy framework of the organisation.” “It is clear that sharing confidential information without express authorisation to do so is against procedure,” Dujarric said. “These emails, including the transfer of UN documents, are shocking,” Barrot told RTL radio. He added that he had learned of Aidan’s actions on Tuesday through a report published by the French investigative website Mediapart.
In an email exchange, Aidan had asked Epstein if he could have the access codes to the financier’s luxury apartment in Paris, a request to which Epstein responded positively. His work at the ministry included a posting to UN headquarters in New York from 2006 to 2013. At the time of his resignation, a disciplinary process against him was underway, Dujarric said. The new Epstein files have sparked concerns in the US and Europe because of the high-profile figures involved.