India's Modi, Somaliland and Rothschild deal feature in new Epstein files

Newly released documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have drawn attention after an email referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared in the latest tranche of files published by the US Department of Justice, prompting a strong rebuttal from New Delhi.

According to the Jerusalem Post on Saturday, one email attributed to Epstein comments on Modi’s 2017 state visit to Israel, the first by an Indian prime minister to the country.

The email frames it as: “The Indian Prime Minister Modi took his (Epstein’s) advice and danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US president. They had met a few weeks ago. It worked.”

Indian authorities have categorically rejected any insinuation arising from the email.

New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stressed that the only factual element referenced is Modi’s officially documented visit to Israel and dismissed the rest of the message as baseless.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the commentary as “trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal” that deserve “the utmost contempt,” adding that there is no evidence of any substantive interaction or advisory relationship between Modi and Epstein.

Opposition parties have nonetheless seized on the reference to demand clarification.

Rothschild

One document dated October 5, 2015, shows that Jeffrey Epstein, through his company Southern Trust Company Inc., signed a $25 million agreement with the Rothschild Group to provide risk analysis and algorithm-related services, according to records that have resurfaced publicly.

The document identifies the late convicted sex offender as president of Southern Trust Company Inc., a Virgin Islands-registered firm, and outlines a “Letter of Agreement” between the company and Edmond de Rothschild Holding S.A., represented by Ariane de Rothschild.

Southern Trust Company was to collaborate with the Rothschild Group on “risk analysis” and the “application and use of certain algorithms”, referred to collectively as “Specified Matters”.

The agreement states that, in consideration for the work, the Rothschild Group would pay Southern Trust Company $25 million.

Somaliland

The documents also show Epstein and individuals in his network discussing Somaliland, the self-declared entity that has functioned as a de facto autonomous entity since 1991.

Emails from 2012 to 2018 reference possible investment opportunities in water exports, financial services linked to diaspora remittances, and proposals for a film production hub known as “Somaliwood Studios”.

In a 2012 email from an individual who described himself as owning a “water company”, the sender wrote to Epstein: “My water company could start really soon and fast, as there are huge water reserves, untapped (and clean), near the port city of Berbera, with direct access to the Saudi market. Easy to ship. Minimal transport. Again, Somaliland. Water sources already mapped, etc.”

One 2018 email shows Epstein receiving a document on Somaliland’s international recognition from the chief executive of port operator DP World.

Somaliland’s status has gained renewed attention after Israel announced in late 2025 that it formally recognised the territory, a move that drew criticism from the region and internationally.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

In 2008 and 2009, Epstein served jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.

At the time, investigators had gathered evidence that Epstein had sexually abused underage girls at his home in Palm Beach, but the US attorney’s office agreed not to prosecute him in exchange for his guilty plea to lesser state charges.