France Launches Special Magistrate Team to Scour Epstein Files

The Paris prosecutor’s office announced on Saturday, February 14, 2026, the formation of a specialized team of magistrates dedicated to analyzing the massive trove of Jeffrey Epstein files recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice. The move marks a significant escalation in France’s efforts to address the “appalling” revelations that have already forced high-profile resignations and triggered multiple criminal probes across the country.
A Multi-Agency Task Force
The new team will work in coordination with the National Financial Crimes Unit (PNF) and specialized police units. Their primary mission is to identify any potential crimes involving French nationals or occurring on French soil that were previously shielded by Epstein’s secretive network.
As part of this initiative, prosecutors confirmed they will reopen the files of Jean-Luc Brunel, the late French modeling agent and close Epstein associate. Brunel died by suicide in a Paris prison in 2022 while awaiting trial on charges of raping minors and human trafficking. The goal is to “extract any evidence that could be usefully reused in a new investigative framework,” potentially leading to charges against living co-conspirators.
The “Diplomat and the Minister” Scandals
The announcement follows a week of seismic political fallout in France:
* The Aidan Case: Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot recently alerted prosecutors to Fabrice Aidan, a middle-ranking French diplomat whose name appears over 200 times in the new files. Aidan is suspected of transferring sensitive UN documents to Epstein and requesting access codes to Epstein’s luxury Paris apartment. President Emmanuel Macron has described the allegations as “unacceptable.”
* Jack Lang Resignation: On February 8, former Culture Minister Jack Lang resigned as head of the Arab World Institute after documents revealed hundreds of interactions with Epstein, including financial ties involving an offshore fund jointly held with his daughter, Caroline Lang. The PNF has opened a preliminary investigation into “laundering of tax fraud proceeds” related to these accounts.
Breaking the “Culture of Silence”
Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon encouraged victims of the Epstein network to come forward, stating that “all light must be shed on this far-reaching affair.” The investigation is expected to delve into the historical ties between Epstein and France’s cultural elite—a group that some critics argue has long benefited from a lack of judicial oversight regarding sexual misconduct.
While being mentioned in the files does not automatically imply a crime, the formation of this “special team” suggests that French authorities are no longer viewing the Epstein saga as an American-only problem. For the first time, the “ghosts” of the Paris apartment on Avenue Foch are facing a dedicated, state-backed forensic review.