PARIS — Jack Lang, France’s prominent former Culture Minister, has stepped down from his leadership role at the prestigious Arab World Institute following revelations of financial connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The resignation comes amid an ongoing tax fraud investigation involving Lang and his daughter, Caroline.
The French Foreign Ministry, which oversees the cultural institution, confirmed Lang’s departure on Saturday evening. Lang was scheduled to meet with ministry officials on Sunday but preemptively submitted his resignation. The financial prosecutors’ office has initiated an investigation into alleged “aggravated tax fraud laundering” involving both Lang and his daughter.
The scandal emerged following a Mediapart investigative report detailing financial and business relationships between the Lang family and Epstein through an offshore company based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The connections span from 2012 to 2019, with Lang’s name appearing over 600 times in the recently released Epstein documents from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has acknowledged the resignation and initiated the search for Lang’s successor. Lang, who served as Culture Minister under Socialist President François Mitterrand during the 1980s and 1990s, had led the Arab World Institute since 2013. His resignation marks the most significant French political fallout from the Epstein document release to date.