French Foreign Minister refers diplomat's mention in Epstein files to prosecutors
Speaking on RTL radio, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he had contacted the prosecutor's office after French diplomat Fabrice Ayden was mentioned in documents released by the American justice system in the Jeffrey Epstein case. According to the minister, he was "shocked" and considered the circumstances described to be very serious.
Barrot explained that he had forwarded the information to the public prosecutor, initiated an administrative investigation to assist the work of the judiciary, and launched disciplinary proceedings against the diplomat. At the same time, he stressed that no conclusions should be drawn at this stage about the involvement of other Foreign Ministry officials.
Fabrice Aidan is mentioned in dozens of emails exchanged with American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. According to the minister, Aidan is a senior foreign affairs secretary who is on leave for personal reasons and works in the private sector. Prior to the publication of the materials, he held a position at the energy company Engie, which announced his suspension.
The minister noted that the diplomat's future in the department will be decided within the framework of disciplinary proceedings. He also drew attention to the scale of the leak of electronic correspondence, which amounts to hundreds of thousands and millions of letters and which, according to him, raises serious suspicions about possible sexual crimes, financial fraud, as well as attempts to influence or interfere in European countries.
Responding to a question about the possible presence of other diplomats whose names may appear in the documents, Barroso said he could not rule this out. According to him, some names appear in the materials, but he is not drawing any conclusions at this stage.
