Arya News - Jeffrey Epstein arranged a dinner with Nicolas Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace after being convicted of sex crimes against children, according to the Epstein files.
Jeffrey Epstein arranged a dinner with Nicolas Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace after being convicted of sex crimes against children, according to the Epstein files.
The paedophile financier courted the former French president for years and fostered a close relationship with his aide, documents released by the US department of justice suggest.
Epstein had been on release from house arrest for less than a year for the crime of soliciting a child for prostitution when he demanded that an associate procure a woman to join him for dinner.
The meal was to be with Sarkozy and Carla Bruni , his wife, at the official residence of the president of France.
On May 9 2011 at 1:53pm, Epstein emailed an anonymous associate to say that he had “to have dinner at the palace with Sarkozy” and needed “someone to come along”.
Epstein in Paris: The late financier (right) is seen at the Louvre with Jack Lang, a former French culture minister - US Department of Justice/AFP via Getty
Twenty-five minutes later, an associate informed Epstein by email that a woman had been found in Paris and asked him to vet the message they had written to convince her to attend.
The draft email to the “beautiful lady” read: “I don’t know if u have time tmrw [sic] but my very good friend Jeffrey is in Paris, maybe I told u about him before.
“I know this is gonna sound a littl [sic] bit crazy but I thought it might be fun for you!! He is going to the palace on Thursday night to meet with President Sarkozy and Carla.
“They [are] good friends, he needs a beautiful lady to accompany him and he asked me if I know some interesting girl who is in Paris. And I thought that u are there and it might be cool for you to meet the president.”
The author described Epstein as “fun, and cute and very smart” and that a “lot of women finds him sexy as well” before claiming the dinner was “not a date”.
Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, his wife, in 2010 when he was still the president of France - Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty
Although it is not clear whether the dinner took place – The Telegraph has asked Élysée Palace officials to confirm – subsequent emails revealed a close relationship between Epstein and Olivier Colom, Sarkozy’s aide.
In October 2013, Mr Colom met Epstein at his flat in Paris and discussed taking a walk through the Marais, a fashionable neighbourhood, before Mr Colom said in jest there were “too many gays” and regrettably did not have the time to join him for the walk.
Mr Colom also encouraged Epstein to purchase a €12m (£10m) flat in Paris, previously owned by the heirs of the distillery company Pernod-Ricard.
Later that month, Epstein emailed Mr Colom asking whether Sarkozy was available to meet him in Paris. Mr Colom replied: “I have lunch with him next Tuesday Nov 5 – I’ll ask. He can be fun. And he can speak English now.”
The emails disclosed last Friday show that Epstein was heavily interested in Mr Sarkozy’s career, asking contacts in France about the president’s election prospects and who his political adviser was.
Epstein, who died in jail by suicide in 2019, also asked about the reputational fallout of the police investigations into Sarkozy for corruption.
The following January, Epstein suggested in an email to Ehud Barak, the former prime minister of Israel, that the pair could have dinner with Sarkozy and a member of the Rothschild family in Paris.
Mandelson’s advice sought
In 2010, Epstein even consulted Lord Mandelson, the Labour spin doctor who had become his confidant , before an alleged meeting with Sarkozy.
On Nov 12, Epstein emailed Lord Mandelson “What is your relationship with Sarkozy? I am speaking to them on Sunday.”
Lord Mandelson replied : “Broadly ok despite some past ups and downs. He rates me but worried that I would not be ‘faithful’ to him. I will explain.”
The Telegraph has sought comment from Mr Sarkozy through his former press attachés.
Other French political figures have also been implicated.
Bruno Le Maire, the former minister of economy and finance, visited the paedophile in New York, according to the emails, and Epstein offered to help fund his potential presidential election campaign after Sarkozy’s defeat.
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