Overview
- Searches carried out Friday at several sites, including Edmond de Rothschild’s Paris headquarters in the presence of CEO Ariane de Rothschild, are part of a preliminary probe tied to the Epstein files.
- The national financial prosecutor’s office said the case centers on suspected bribery of a foreign public official and complicity, focusing on former French diplomat Fabrice Aidan.
- France’s central anti‑corruption unit, OCLCIFF, is leading the work and questioned Aidan in late February in a free hearing, which means he was not in custody.
- The bank says it is cooperating with investigators and has opened an internal review, and Engie ended Aidan’s role in mid‑March after the disclosures.
- The probe followed a February 16 referral by the foreign minister after U.S. records showed Aidan in more than 200 exchanges with Epstein, and related fallout abroad includes a Norwegian inquiry involving Terje Rød‑Larsen.