On February 18, 2026, Paris erupted in disbelief as Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced two sweeping investigations just days after a massive trove of Jeffrey Epstein files flooded the public—millions of pages exposing potential crimes that had lingered in shadows for years.
In lightning speed, French authorities launched one probe into human trafficking, focusing on the recruitment and exploitation of victims possibly linked to Epstein’s French network, and another targeting financial crimes—money laundering, breaches of public integrity, tax fraud, and corruption tied to his elite contacts.
With Epstein’s former luxury apartment near the Arc de Triomphe now under fresh scrutiny, prosecutors are urgently calling on victims and witnesses in France to come forward, armed with flight logs, emails, and new complaints that could unravel long-hidden connections among the powerful.
Who among France’s influential circles will be next to face the reckoning?
On February 18, 2026, Paris erupted in disbelief as Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced two sweeping investigations just days after a massive trove of Jeffrey Epstein files—nearly three million pages released by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30—flooded the public domain, exposing potential crimes that had lingered in shadows for years.
In a swift and decisive move, French authorities launched one probe into human trafficking, focusing on the recruitment, solicitation, and exploitation of victims possibly linked to Epstein’s French network. The second targets financial crimes, including money laundering, breaches of public integrity (or probity), tax fraud, and corruption tied to his elite contacts. Beccuau, speaking on France Info radio, emphasized that the investigations—entrusted to five specialized magistrates—would draw on publicly available documents, flight logs, emails, media reports, and new complaints from child protection groups and survivors.
The timing stunned observers. Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in 2019, frequently visited Paris—over 170 times—owning a lavish 18-room apartment on Avenue Foch, near the Arc de Triomphe. Police searches there in 2019 uncovered disturbing interiors: walls covered in images of nude or semi-nude young women, massage tables, sex toys, and other items suggesting exploitation. Though sold in 2022, the property now faces renewed scrutiny as a potential crime scene.
Beccuau made an urgent public appeal for victims and witnesses in France—or those involving French nationals—to come forward. Her office has jurisdiction over acts abroad if perpetrators or victims are French, offering a pathway for long-silent survivors. “We want to stand alongside these victims,” she declared, noting the “titanic task” of sifting through the evidence to identify offenses.
The probes build on prior French efforts, including a closed 2019-2023 inquiry into Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel, who died by suicide in prison while facing rape and trafficking charges. New complaints have emerged, including one against diplomat Fabrice Aidan, prompting separate scrutiny.
The scandal has already rippled through France’s influential circles. Former Culture Minister Jack Lang, 86, resigned as president of the Arab World Institute on February 7 after his name appeared nearly 700 times in Epstein correspondence from 2012-2019, involving favors like private jet use. A preliminary financial probe into Lang and his daughter Caroline for suspected laundering of tax fraud proceeds led to dramatic police raids on February 16 at the institute and other sites. No charges have been filed, and Lang denies wrongdoing, but the fallout highlights Epstein’s reach into politics, diplomacy, and culture.
As investigators comb the vast files, questions mount: Who among France’s elite—politicians, artists, business leaders—will be next implicated? The Avenue Foch apartment, once a symbol of opulent discretion, now stands as a stark emblem of hidden predation. With survivors encouraged to speak and connections under the microscope, Paris confronts uncomfortable truths. The reckoning has begun, and its scope could reshape reputations long shielded by power and privilege.
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