French President Emmanuel Macron said that the affair surrounding American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is "first and foremost a matter of US competence" and that the American judicial system must do its job independently, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
"This is a case that primarily concerns the US. I do not want to participate in a public debate on this issue," Macron said.
The head of state stressed that Epstein had a "very wide network", which requires judicial institutions to act "calmly and independently". He also warned against the spread of conspiracy theories surrounding the case, calling for "real journalistic work".
The statement was made after The US Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents related to the case on 30 January. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch said the materials did not contain new elements that could lead to additional prosecutions.
Nevertheless, the revelations about Epstein's network of contacts have caused an international outcry. In France, former Culture Minister Jacques Lang resigned as president of the Institute of the Arab World in Paris over his ties to Epstein.
"He made his decision in good conscience," Macron said of Lang.