Factbox-European figures caught in web of Epstein ties

Feb 10 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department’s release of millions of internal documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has exposed the late sex offender and financier’s ties to European figures in business, academia, government and royalty. 

Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, exploited his wealth and connections to cultivate relationships with prominent figures around the world over decades. Many connections continued even after his conviction in 2008 on prostitution charges involving an underage girl. 

Being named in the files is not evidence of criminal activity, however.

Here are some high-profile Europeans whose ties to Epstein were revealed or detailed in the files, the latest batch of which was released on January 30:

ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother of King Charles, has been forced to move out of his mansion on the royal estate in Windsor.

In October, after a previous disclosure, King Charles stripped him of his title of prince, one of the most dramatic punishments of a royal in modern British history.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on January 31 for Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before a U.S. congressional committee. Police also said they were reviewing allegations that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor for sexual purposes in 2010.

Buckingham Palace said on February 9 it would also support any police probe into Prince Andrew after emails suggested he may have shared confidential British trade documents with Jeffrey Epstein.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 65, has always denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT

The latest files show email correspondence between Norway’s crown princess, Mette-Marit, 52, and Epstein after he was found guilty in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Her name appears hundreds of times and, in 2012, she called Epstein “sweetheart,” “soft-hearted” and “very charming”.

Mette-Marit had denied knowing about Epstein’s criminal past, but recently released emails show that she investigated him in 2011 and even wrote to him that it didn’t “look too good”, with a smiley-face emoji.

“I must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly,” Mette-Marit said in a statement via the royal palace. “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all.”

JACK AND CAROLINE LANG

The files reveal that former French culture minister Jack Lang, 86, maintained contact with Epstein over an extended period and requested favours including the use of his car and private plane. In an email sent on April 7, 2017, long after Epstein’s conviction, Lang thanked Epstein for a “splendid time” the previous day.

Lang resigned on February 7, as president of the Arab World Institute after revelations of his past contacts with Epstein and the launch of a financial investigation.

French financial prosecutors, on the same day, launched a probe into Jack Lang and his daughter Caroline over suspected aggravated money laundering of tax fraud proceeds.

Caroline Lang, 64, has resigned as head of France’s Independent Production Union. The released files show that the former Warner Bros executive partnered in 2016 with Epstein in a company called Pyrtanée LLC. 

Both father and daughter deny any wrongdoing.

PETER MANDELSON

Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is under police investigation for possible misconduct in public office, having resigned from the ruling Labour Party and the upper house of parliament.

Disclosed emails suggested a close friendship with Epstein that included leaking market-sensitive information to him when Mandelson was a government minister during the global financial crisis from 2008 onwards.

That revelation has in turn intensified pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who named him ambassador, not least from many in his own party. Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on February 8, taking responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador despite his Epstein ties.

Starmer fired Mandelson in September, when a previous batch of Epstein emails first showed the depth of their relationship.

Mandelson has not commented publicly on allegations that he leaked information, and did not respond to messages seeking comment.

BOERGE BRENDE

The World Economic Forum, responsible for the annual Davos gathering, has launched an investigation into its CEO Boerge Brende’s ties to Epstein. It said the U.S. disclosures showed Brende had had three business dinners with Epstein and exchanged emails and text messages with him.

Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, said he had first met Epstein at a 2018 New York dinner and attended two more such gatherings with diplomats and business leaders in 2019. He said he had been unaware of Epstein’s criminal history and regretted not investigating further. Brende remains WEF CEO.

ARIANE DE ROTHSCHILD

The head of the family-owned Geneva-based finance company Edmond de Rothschild Group agreed to several meetings with Epstein in New York and Paris before his 2019 arrest, emails show. They do not contain any sign of criminal wrongdoing, and the bank’s spokesperson said she had had no knowledge of his previous conduct.

THORBJOERN JAGLAND

Norway’s economic crime police unit Oekokrim is investigating former Prime Minister Thorbjoern Jagland, 75, on suspicion of aggravated corruption based on information released in the Epstein files. 

Jagland is suspected of receiving gifts, travel and loans in connection with his former positions as chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and secretary general of the Council of Europe.

Norway said it was asking the Council to revoke the immunity stemming from his tenure there.

A lawyer for Jagland said he welcomed the police investigation and would cooperate fully.

MONA JUUL AND TERJE ROED-LARSEN

Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq, Mona Juul, was suspended after the files pointed to extensive contact with Epstein after his conviction.

Juul and Roed-Larsen helped set up the secret channel for contacts between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government that led to the 1993-1995 Oslo peace accords.

The files indicate that the couple and their children had visited Epstein’s island. In a version of Epstein’s will released in the U.S. files, the two children stood to inherit $5 million each from him.

Norway’s financial crimes squad, Oekokrim, opened a corruption investigation into the couple on February 9. Their lawyers said they saw no merit in the accusations against them and were cooperating with the inquiry.

MIROSLAV LAJCAK 

Slovakian National Security Adviser Miroslav Lajcak resigned after the latest files showed the pair exchanged emails about young women. 

Lajcak said the correspondence dated back to 2018, when he was foreign minister.

In a statement, he denied wrongdoing and condemned Epstein’s crimes, but said he was stepping down to prevent the issue from being used politically against Prime Minister Robert Fico.

(Reporting by Hugo Lhomedet and Jerome Terroy in Gdansk; Editing by Kevin Liffey)