France’s former culture minister Jack Lang resigns as head of Paris cultural center

Jack Lang, France’s former culture minister, resigned on Saturday as head of the Arab World Institute after revelations in newly released documents tied him and his family to financial dealings connected with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a tax fraud investigation.

The resignation came after Lang, 86, was summoned by the French Foreign Ministry, which oversees the institute, to explain his links following the Jan. 30 release of Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

His name was mentioned more than 600 times in the documents, showing repeat correspondence with Epstein between 2012 and 2019.

On RTL radio, Lang’s lawyer, Laurent Merlet, said his client is "very sad and deeply hurt to be leaving a position he loves."

Merlet added that Lang “put the interests of the Arab World Institute first,” and stressed that his client denied the allegations and called them inaccurate.

The broader probe, launched by France’s financial prosecutors, targets both Lang and his daughter, Caroline, over suspected “aggravated tax fraud laundering.” 

French investigative site Mediapart reported last week on alleged financial and business ties between the Lang family and Epstein through an offshore company based in the U.S. Virgin Islands.