Lang’s resignation followed a summons to appear at France’s Foreign Ministry, which oversees the Arab World Institute, according to the ministry’s confirmation. Lang, 86 and a former Socialist culture minister who previously served under President François Mitterrand, led the Paris cultural center since 2013.
Financial prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into Lang and his daughter, Caroline, tied to Jeffrey Epstein-linked material. Prosecutors described the alleged conduct as “aggravated tax fraud laundering,” framing the inquiry as part of a broader review of potential financial misconduct.
Lang’s lawyer, Laurent Merlet, said on RTL radio that Lang was “very sad and deeply hurt to be leaving a position he loves.” Merlet also said Lang “put the interests of the Arab World Institute first,” and he added that Lang denied the allegations and called them inaccurate.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed Saturday evening that Lang had resigned, after he submitted the resignation following the Sunday summons. The ministry said Barrot had “taken note” of Lang’s resignation and started the process to identify a successor to lead the institute.
The case drew attention after the U.S. Department of Justice released Epstein files on Jan. 30, which prompted investigations into individuals named in the records. The AP reported that Lang’s name appeared more than 600 times in the released files, showing intermittent correspondence between 2012 and 2019, and that his daughter was also mentioned.
French investigative website Mediapart had reported last week on alleged financial and business ties between the Lang family and Epstein through an offshore company based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lang was identified as the highest-profile French figure affected by the release, AP reported, as prosecutors moved toward an investigation connected to the allegations.