French diplomat with Epstein ties denies accusations after government alerts prosecutor

PARIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A French diplomat suspected of transferring United Nations documents to late financier Jeffrey Epstein denies all allegations made against him, his lawyer said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said this week he had alerted prosecutors and initiated disciplinary proceedings against Aidan, describing the accusations as “extremely serious.”

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Fabrice Aidan, a mid-level career diplomat who joined France’s foreign ministry in 2000, is mentioned in over 200 documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning convicted sex offender Epstein.

Aidan, who worked at the U.N. from July 2006 to April 2013 while on secondment from the French government, “rejects all of the accusations,” his lawyer Jade Dousselin said in a statement sent to Reuters on Thursday.

Her client was ready to answer any questions from the French judiciary, she added.

Emails reviewed by Reuters that Aidan sent from his personal and official U.N. account show the transfer of U.N. Security Council briefings and other confidential documents to Epstein between 2010 and 2016.

French investigative website Mediapart also reported on Wednesday that the FBI had flagged Aidan in 2013 for allegedly viewing child sexual abuse websites.

Aidan resigned from his U.N. post the same year, U.N. Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told Reuters. Dujarric said that a disciplinary process had been launched against Aidan based on information shared by a member state.

Aidan’s lawyer said the allegations were false. “He never visited any websites containing child pornography,” she said.

“The FBI has already investigated this without any prosecution, and French investigations reached the same conclusion,” she said.

Gerard Araud, who served as France’s ambassador to the United States from 2014 to 2019, said on X that he had sent Aidan back to France and that U.S. authorities had not sought to prosecute Aidan.

Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Richard Lough

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Gianluca Lo Nostro

Thomson Reuters

Gianluca is a markets reporter based in Gdansk, where he covers equities and companies in France and the Benelux countries, with a keen focus on media, telecoms and fintech. Previously, he worked as a journalist in Italy, covering various beats ranging from international business and finance.

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