Published documents link Epstein to Swiss bank chief

Ariane de Rothschild, head of the Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild, corresponded several times with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to US Department of Justice files. She also agreed to several meetings approximately five years before his arrest in 2019.

The documents released in recent days contain no evidence of criminal activity, but they do raise questions about the nature of the relationship between the two.

The correspondence suggests that over several years they arranged meetings at Epstein's properties in New York and Paris. Epstein also repeatedly invited de Rothschild to stay overnight at his apartment.

In March 2019, four months before his arrest, they exchanged messages saying that they were both in Paris and agreed to meet the following day. However, it is not known whether the meetings actually took place.

A spokesperson for the bank responded that Epstein was a business acquaintance of Rothschild's from 2013 to 2019 and that she had no knowledge of his criminal activities. The bank unequivocally condemned his behavior and crimes but declined to comment on specific correspondence.

The published documents expand the list of publicly known figures who were part of Epstein's social circle. The American was charged in 2019 with trafficking minors for sexual purposes. He subsequently died in custody in New York, and his death was ruled a suicide.

(reuters, max)