French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said today that he is embarrassed and outraged by the revealed facts surrounding French diplomat Fabrice Edan, whose name appears several times in the declassified "Epstein" files, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
"When I learned about this information, I was embarrassed and did what anyone in my place would have done - I filed a report with the judicial authorities and started an administrative investigation, as well as disciplinary proceedings," the minister told RTL radio.
He assured that he learned about the revealed information only yesterday and it outraged him.
"The information "The facts are very serious," Barrot added. "However, I forbid you to make suggestions that this would tarnish the reputation of employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who have nothing to do with the case," the minister said, explaining that he nevertheless "does not exclude" the possibility that other French diplomats may be involved.
Fabrice Edan is currently "secretary for foreign affairs on unpaid leave for personal reasons," the foreign minister wrote on the social network "Ex". Edan worked for the energy company "Engie", from which he was dismissed due to the revelations in the media, the company told AFP journalists.
According to documents to which AFP has access, Fabrice Edan sent dozens of emails over several years to businessman and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019
According to "Mediapar" and "Radio France", which published the revelations, Fabrice Edan shared "diplomatic information and provided him with services and international contacts" with Jeffrey Epstein.
The first documented correspondence between the two dates back to 2010, when the diplomat was seconded to the UN, where he was an advisor to Norwegian diplomat Thierry Rø-Larsen, who is also under investigation in Norway, as well as Larsen's wife Mona Juhl, on charges of "complicity in serious corrupt practices" due to their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
"The publication of the "Epstein" files raises serious questions regarding the crimes committed by individuals, but also about influence and interference in the political life of European countries, including France", Jean-Noël Barrot also said in his interview with RTL.
"In my opinion, these documents should end up in the courts, not on social networks", Barrot added.
According to "Mediapar", the UN alerted the FBI in 2013 to the existence of an investigation that could incriminate Fabrice Edan for visiting child pornography sites in New York. A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry explained to "Mediapar" that at that time, the US judicial authorities had not brought any charges against Edan, and no sanctions were planned in France.
Jean-Noël Barrot declined to comment on this topic to RTL.