00:00Yes, absolutely. So the board of the Arab World Institute is in meeting as we speak to designate
00:06Jack Long's successor. There are three names that are being floated. One is widely expected to get
00:12the job, and that is Anne-Claire Legendre. She's a 46-year-old diplomat. She is the current
00:19councillor to Emmanuel Macron for the Middle East and North Africa. And indeed, she speaks
00:27a perfect Arabic and was an ambassador to Kuwait. Now, she is seen as the favorite in this race.
00:34There are two other names that have been floated, and that is Karim Amlal. He is Emmanuel Macron's
00:39ambassador for the Mediterranean, and Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, who is the ambassador for the
00:45poles and for maritime transport. So we are waiting for this name to be unveiled, of course,
00:54in the wake of Jack Long stepping down.
00:58Yeah, I mean, it's been, in reality, a scandalous few days, really, at the Institute after Jack
01:04Long stepped down, and indeed, those police raids we talked about yesterday.
01:10Yes, absolutely. Yesterday, I was here, actually, for France 24 covering it. Yeah, the police arrived
01:15as Jack Long was having a reception with the staff of the Arab World Institute. A goodbye ceremony,
01:23if you will. And indeed, they raided his offices here, as well as his home. And this is because of
01:30the documents that were released by the Department of Justice that showed that, indeed, that he had a
01:37sustained relationship with Jeffrey Epstein between 2012 and 2019. These documents also revealed that
01:45his daughter, Karen Lin Long, who also stepped down from all her posts, had a company with Jeffrey
01:52Epstein that was co-founded in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a company to acquire art that was funded by
01:59the billionaire sex offender, and also Karen Lin Long, who was on his will for an amount of $5 million.
02:09Jack Long himself has received the sum, according to these documents, again, of €50,000 in order to
02:16finance the production of a documentary. So for all these reasons, indeed, the national financial
02:21prosecutor is looking into these matters. There is this inquiry that has been opened, and Jack Long
02:27himself says that he has done nothing wrong, that everything is completely legal. And even during
02:34this reception yesterday, he said that he was welcoming this visit by the police, who he says
02:38will give him an opportunity to clear his name. The investigation, of course, is ongoing.
02:44James, thanks so much, James.
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