PARIS, France: The Paris offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild were searched late last week as part of an inquiry into alleged corruption involving a French diplomat named in documents linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Fabrice Aidan, a mid-level French diplomat who worked with the United Nations from 2006 to 2013 and later at a bank, was mentioned in more than 200 documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.
These documents include emails he is accused of sending to Epstein between 2010 and 2016 from both his personal and U.N. email accounts.
Some emails reviewed by Reuters suggest that he shared U.N. Security Council briefings and other confidential documents with Epstein during that time.
Aidan has denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The French Foreign Ministry said it carried out an internal investigation, including about 30 interviews. It added that all current and former staff involved cooperated and that it may consider disciplinary action while remaining available to judicial authorities.
A search was conducted in the presence of Ariane de Rothschild, the head of the Swiss bank, according to a source close to the bank.
The bank, Edmond de Rothschild, said it is fully cooperating with the investigation led by the financial prosecutor. It also started an internal inquiry as soon as concerns were raised about the former employee, who worked there from 2014 to 2016.
A bank spokesperson declined to comment further.
The investigation is being handled by France’s anti-corruption and financial crimes office, which questioned Aidan in a voluntary interview in late February.
French prosecutors said they are investigating possible passive corruption of a foreign public official and involvement in that crime, with a particular focus on Aidan.
When asked about possible links between Epstein and the Geneva-based bank, Swiss regulator Finma said it reviews all reliable information and investigates thoroughly if there are concerns about business integrity.
Swiss federal prosecutors did not immediately comment on whether they are also investigating, and a spokesperson for the Geneva prosecutor’s office also declined to comment.
Ariane de Rothschild was also mentioned in the documents released earlier this year, which showed she had personal communication with Epstein over several years before his arrest in 2019.
After the documents were released, the bank said Epstein was only a business acquaintance of de Rothschild from 2013 to 2019 and that she was not aware of his actions.