Dalai Lama’s office denies reports linking him to Jeffrey Epstein

The office of the Dalai Lama on Sunday firmly rejected media reports suggesting any association between the Tibetan spiritual leader and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling such claims baseless and misleading.

The clarification followed reports by several media outlets, citing documents released by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ), which claimed that the Dalai Lama’s name appeared multiple times in the so-called Epstein files. Some reports alleged that his name surfaced 169 times in documents linked to the disgraced financier.

According to these reports, references to the Dalai Lama allegedly appeared in personal emails and in the index of a scanned book titled Massage for Dummies, included among the documents released as part of the Epstein case records.

Responding to the claims, the Dalai Lama’s office issued a categorical denial.
“Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein,” the statement said.

“We can unequivocally confirm that His Holiness has never met Jeffrey Epstein or authorised any meeting or interaction with him by anyone on His Holiness’s behalf,” it added.

Some reports had cited emails dated October 2012 that allegedly referred to a possible meeting between Epstein and the Dalai Lama, and suggested that the spiritual leader was expected to attend an event alongside him. Others, including European outlet Nexta TV, claimed that individuals described as followers of the Dalai Lama may have met Epstein, fuelling speculation about indirect links.

The issue had first drawn wider attention last year after journalist Michael Wolff made claims during an appearance on The Daily Beast podcast, where he spoke of exclusive gatherings or “salons” hosted at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. Wolff named several prominent figures and speculated that the Dalai Lama’s presence, if it occurred, may have been connected to fundraising or philanthropic outreach.

Independent journalist Jacob Silverman later referred to Wolff’s remarks in an article titled Why Was The Dalai Lama At Jeffrey Epstein’s House?, noting that the Dalai Lama’s office had not responded at the time to queries regarding any donations or association.

The controversy has resurfaced following the DoJ’s recent release of a massive cache of records linked to Epstein, reportedly comprising more than three million files, over 2,000 videos and around 1,80,000 photographs.

According to media reports, the documents contain references to several influential figures from politics, business and public life, including current and former US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as business leaders such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

The Dalai Lama’s office, however, has reiterated that any attempt to link the Tibetan leader to Epstein is entirely unfounded.

With IANS inputs