Jack Lang told to quit French cultural centre; Norway's Mette-Marit sorry over Epstein links
Ex-French Minister Jack Lang faces resignation calls over Epstein ties, while Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologises for long friendship, as disgraced socialite's elite network exposed.
A fresh wave of political fallout from newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents has swept across Europe.
France's foreign minister said on Friday that he had summoned former minister Jack Lang to a weekend meeting, as calls mounted for Lang to resign as head of a leading French cultural institute over his ties to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lang, 86, is the most high-profile French figure caught up in the latest US release of documents linked to the financier who killed himself in 2019 while in prison facing charges of sex trafficking underage girls.
French media reports said Lang, who heads the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris, repeatedly appealed to Epstein for funds or favours, while his daughter's name appears in the company files of an offshore company co-owned with the disgraced US tycoon.
His daughter Caroline Lang, a film producer, resigned on Monday as head of the Independent Production Union.
Lang, who spent nearly 20 years as culture minister and education minister in different governments, has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes despite his conviction in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
On Wednesday, he refused to step down as president of the cultural hub focused on the Arabic-speaking world.
Pressure has increased however and the foreign ministry — which provides half of the institute's budget — has ordered him to a meeting.
“Regret my friendship”
Speaking later from Beirut, he added: "The first elements emerging from these files are new and extremely serious" and would require in-depth examination.
But his priority, he said, was to ensure the proper running of the IMA.
The 12.3 million euros ($14.5 million) the IMA receives annually from the foreign ministry accounts for half of the institute's budget.
Socialist party leader Olivier Faure urged Lang to "think about resigning to protect the institution he presides.”
The IMA's board of directors — made up in equal measure of ambassadors from Arab countries and figures chosen by the foreign ministry — appointed him and has renewed his tenure three times.
Meanwhile, Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit said she "deeply regretted" her friendship with Epstein and the embarrassment it has caused the royal family.
Married to Crown Prince Haakon, Mette-Marit's name appears in new Epstein documents released a week ago by the US Justice Department.
The documents revealed an unexpectedly close friendship between the two and raised questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit can become queen.
"I deeply regret my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. It is important for me to apologise to all of those whom I have disappointed ... I also regret the situation I have put the royal family in, especially the king and queen," she said in a statement from the palace.
It added that the crown princess, 52, wished to tell more and explain herself in detail.
"She can't do that now," it said, noting that she was in a "very demanding situation".