Dalai Lama’s office denies any link with Jeffrey Epstein
Calls reports baseless after spiritual leader’s name surfaces in recent release of ‘Epstein files’
The office of the 14th Dalai Lama on Sunday firmly rejected media and social media reports attempting to link the Tibetan spiritual leader with late US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, describing the claims as “baseless, false and completely without facts”.
In an official statement issued here, the Dalai Lama’s office said there was no truth to suggestions of any association between the two. “We can unequivocally confirm that the Dalai Lama has never met Jeffrey Epstein, nor did he ever authorise any meeting or interaction with him by anyone acting on his behalf,” the statement said.
The clarification comes in the wake of recent media reports and online posts following the release of investigative material related to Epstein by the United States Department of Justice. Some reports had cited the appearance of the Dalai Lama’s name in the documents and sought to draw speculative links between prominent public figures and Epstein.
The Dalai Lama’s office also addressed the issue on social media platform X, reiterating that attempts to associate the spiritual leader with Epstein were entirely unfounded. “Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link the Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein. These claims are false,” the post said.
The controversy emerged more than a week after the US Department of Justice, on January 31, released a massive tranche of material linked to federal investigations into Epstein. The disclosure includes over three million pages of records, more than 2,000 videos and around 180,000 images.
The release was carried out under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation aimed at ensuring public access to all federal records related to Epstein, in response to long-standing demands for greater transparency.
Epstein, who maintained extensive connections with influential figures across political, business and social spheres, died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Since his death, periodic releases of investigative documents have continued to trigger speculation and controversy, often prompting clarifications and denials from individuals whose names appear or are referenced in the files, even when no wrongdoing is alleged.
