TheBadPlaceyahoo news | Edmond de Rothschild Paris offices raided in Epstein-linked probe into diplomat
French investigators raided the Paris offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild on Tuesday as part of a probe into alleged corruption involving French diplomat Fabrice Aidan, whose name appears in more than 200 documents released by the U.S. Justice Department that are linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Reuters reviewed some of the emails that Aidan is accused of sending to Epstein between 2010 and 2016 from both his personal and United Nations accounts, and the correspondence includes the transfer of confidential U.N. Security Council briefings to Epstein. Aidan, a middle‑ranking diplomat who served at the United Nations from 2006‑2013 and later worked at the bank from 2014‑2016, has denied any wrongdoing.
The French Foreign Ministry said it has completed an administrative investigation, conducting roughly 30 interviews, and that all staff summoned to the inquiry have cooperated. Edmond de Rothschild’s chief, Ariane de Rothschild, was present during the search, and the bank said it is fully cooperating with the justice system while an internal investigation was launched as soon as suspicions arose about Aidan’s activities. A spokesperson for the bank declined further comment.
The case is being handled by France’s central office against corruption and financial and tax offences, which is examining accusations of passive corruption of a foreign public official and complicity in that crime. Swiss regulator FINMA said it evaluates reliable information in its supervision and conducts in‑depth reviews when integrity concerns arise, while Swiss federal prosecutors have not yet commented. Separate files released by the U.S. Justice Department also show that Ariane de Rothschild maintained a years‑long personal correspondence with Epstein; the bank described Epstein as a business acquaintance of de Rothschild from 2013‑2019 and said she had no knowledge of his misconduct.
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