Dalai Lama ‘never met Jeffrey Epstein’: Tibetan spiritual leader's office debunks reports of mentions in files

The Office of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, stated on Sunday that recent media and social media reports linking His Holiness to Jeffrey Epstein were false, emphasising that he has "never met Jeffrey Epstein."

“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,” the statement added.

Earlier on Thursday, CGTN reported, citing the U.S. Department of Justice website, that the name Dalai Lama appeared at least 169 times in the recently released Epstein files.

The Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in Dharamsala since he left Tibet in 1959, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his consistent, nonviolent struggle to liberate Tibet.

Note: It should be emphasised that being mentioned in the Epstein-related files does not imply any wrongdoing.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has released more than 3 million pages of documents, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos related to the case.

Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender. Prosecutors have said he ran a long-running sex trafficking operation involving hundreds of underage girls.

Authorities allege that he abused girls as young as 14 at properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and abroad, using a system where victims were pressured to recruit other girls for him.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting a minor and received a highly criticised sentence of 13 months in jail with work release. The leniency of this deal has continued to draw scrutiny and controversy.

(With inputs from agencies)