French investigators raid Rothschild bank offices in Epstein-linked probe

French investigators have searched the Paris offices of Edmond de Rothschild as part of a corruption inquiry involving a former diplomat linked to documents on Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, the search was carried out on Friday under the authority of France’s financial prosecutor as part of a preliminary investigation opened last month. The probe centres on Fabrice Aidan, a former French diplomat and ex-employee of the Swiss private bank, who is suspected of “passive corruption” involving a foreign public official.

Prosecutors said Aidan’s name appears in more than 200 documents released by the US Justice Department, including emails exchanged with Epstein between 2010 and 2016. Some of the correspondence reviewed by Reuters allegedly involved the transfer of confidential United Nations Security Council briefings and other sensitive material.

Aidan has denied wrongdoing, while his lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The French foreign ministry said it had conducted an internal administrative inquiry involving around 30 interviews and added that it was “available to judicial authorities” while considering potential disciplinary measures.

A source close to the bank told Reuters that the search took place in the presence of chief executive Ariane de Rothschild and that Edmond de Rothschild was “cooperating fully with the justice system”. The source added that the bank had launched an internal investigation as soon as suspicions emerged regarding the former employee, who worked there from 2014 to 2016.

Le Monde reported that the investigation was triggered by a referral from the foreign ministry following disclosures in the Epstein files published in January. French financial prosecutors said the case is being handled by the central office for combating corruption, tax and financial offences, with multiple locations searched as part of the inquiry.

Pascal Prache, head of the financial prosecutor’s office, told The Wall Street Journal that authorities are examining whether Aidan was involved in the corruption of a foreign public official, though he did not identify the individual concerned.

The broader fallout from the document release has already affected other figures in France. Le Monde reported that former culture minister Jack Lang resigned from his role at the Arab World Institute after prosecutors opened a separate tax fraud investigation linked to the same disclosures.

Regulatory scrutiny may extend beyond France. Switzerland’s financial regulator Finma said it considers “all reliable information” in its supervisory work and carries out in-depth reviews where there are concerns about the integrity of business activities.



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