Dalai Lama's office confirms no meetings or authorised interactions with Epstein.
Statement addresses media and social posts linking the two via unsealed files.
References in documents are casual mentions without evidence of direct contact.
The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has issued a statement denying any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, after media reports highlighted multiple mentions of the Tibetan spiritual leader's name in recently released US Department of Justice files related to the convicted sex offender.
The press statement, dated 8 February 2026 and issued from Thekchen Choeling, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, reads in full: "Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the 'Epstein files' are attempting to link His Holiness the Dalai Lama with 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 clarification follows reports from outlets such as CGTN, Anadolu Agency, NDTV, and Hindustan Times, which noted that searches of the DoJ website showed the word "Dalai" appearing around 169 times (with some counts at 157 or similar figures) across emails, documents, and other records in the Epstein files. These references surfaced after additional Epstein documents were made public in early February 2026.
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges, had a wide network that often referenced high-profile figures in correspondence. Reports indicate the Dalai Lama's name appeared in contexts such as forwarded news articles, casual mentions by associates, name-dropping, and unsuccessful attempts to arrange events or meetings—such as a 2012 email suggesting Epstein planned to attend an island event where the Dalai Lama might be present. No evidence in the files indicates any actual meeting, direct contact, photographs, flight logs, financial ties, or personal interaction occurred.
The Dalai Lama's office emphasised the denial to counter speculation on social media and in news coverage. The spiritual leader, who has lived in exile in India since 1959, maintains a public profile focused on promoting compassion and peace, with no previous allegations of this kind.
