Poland has announced it will seek help from two other European countries as part of a widening investigation into alleged human trafficking linked to the late U.S. financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Polish prosecutors said documents from newly released U.S. Justice Department files suggested a reasonable suspicion that human trafficking occurred on Polish soil, prompting Warsaw to request information and evidence to aid the inquiry.
The prosecutors did not officially name the countries they would approach, but sources familiar with the matter said France and Sweden are likely candidates for cooperation.
The National Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it had opened a formal investigation into alleged trafficking offences committed between 2009 and August 2019 in Poland and other jurisdictions. Authorities suspect the scheme involved recruiting women and girls with false promises of work abroad, transporting them out of the country, and handing them over for sexual exploitation.
The move follows earlier announcements by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said Warsaw was also probing possible links between Epstein’s network and Russian intelligence, as well as any crimes affecting Polish citizens.
Among individuals mentioned in the Epstein files is model scout Daniel Siad, who reportedly travelled through Poland and other Central European countries on Epstein‑related business, though he has denied wrongdoing.
Poland’s outreach to European partners reflects the growing international dimension of investigations sparked by the trove of internal documents released by U.S. authorities.