Jack Lang, a former French culture minister, resigned as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris after his past correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed, amid a French financial investigation into him and his daughter. The move came as the latest fallout from the release of Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice, implicating numerous public figures globally.
The resignation was formally announced by the French Foreign Affairs Ministry on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Lang stepped down just before he was due to attend an urgent meeting called by the ministry to discuss his links to Epstein. This followed the opening of an investigation by the French Financial Prosecutor’s Office into Lang and his daughter, Caroline, on suspicion of ‘aggravated tax fraud laundering,’ prompted by the Epstein documents.
Lang, 86, is a prominent figure in French politics, having served as culture minister under Socialist President François Mitterrand in the 1980s and 1990s. He oversaw significant cultural projects, including the construction of the Louvre Pyramid. Since 2013, he has headed the Institut du Monde Arabe, or Arab World Institute, a key institution promoting understanding of the Arab world and supervised by the foreign ministry.
The Epstein files, released on January 30, show that Lang corresponded intermittently with Epstein between 2012 and 2019, when Epstein died by suicide in jail. Lang’s name appears more than 600 times in the documents, according to a Reuters review. The correspondence included emails where Lang appealed to Epstein for philanthropic support, and financial links were suggested, though no evidence of fund movements has been confirmed.
In response, Lang denied any wrongdoing, stating on X that he welcomed the investigation ‘with serenity and even relief.’ He asserted that the accusations are baseless and that he would demonstrate his innocence. His lawyer, Laurent Merlet, told BFM TV that there has been no movement of funds and that it is normal for justice to verify the claims.
Caroline Lang, a long-time media executive, also faced repercussions, resigning as head of France’s Independent Production Union after her connections to Epstein emerged. She was named in Epstein’s will as a beneficiary of €5 million, but she denied ever seeing the document or receiving funds. She had co-founded an offshore company with Epstein in 2016 to invest in young artists’ work, resigning from it in 2019 when further allegations surfaced.
The broader context includes a wave of scrutiny across Europe following the Epstein file releases, affecting figures like Britain’s Prince Andrew and former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson. Lang claimed he was introduced to Epstein by Woody Allen and was unaware of his criminal behavior until 2019. The investigation continues, and the resignation marks a significant moment in the ongoing exposure of Epstein’s network and its impact on political and cultural elites.
