Dalai Lama’s office says the spiritual leader has never met Epstein

The office of the Dalai Lama said on Sunday (February 8, 2026) that he had never met convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after Chinese media reported the Tibetan Buddhist leader’s name was mentioned in a cache of files released by the U.S. Government.

The U.S. Justice Department published last month the latest tranche of the Epstein files — more than three million documents, photos and videos related to its investigation into the disgraced financier.

An AFP search of the files found the Dalai Lama’s name was mentioned more than 150 times with no mention of him meeting or interacting with Epstein. The mere mention of someone’s name in the Epstein files does not in itself imply any wrongdoing by that person.

“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 leader’s office said in a statement posted on X.

“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.

On Thursday (February 5, 2026), State-run broadcaster the China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported that the Dalai Lama appeared at least 169 times in the Epstein files and mentioned an email in which an unknown sender told Epstein he was considering going to an event the Dalai Lama was set to attend.

The 90-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner fled the Tibetan capital Lhasa at the age of 23, in fear for his life after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959 following their annexation of Tibet in 1951. He now lives in exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala and leads a push for greater autonomy for Tibetans that China has condemned, calling the spiritual leader a rebel and a separatist.

A search into the Epstein files, released by the U.S. DOJ and accessed by AFP produced 154 results about the Dalai Lama. AFP did not identify any mention or suggestion of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and Epstein.

The email mentioned by CGTN and seen by AFP was sent by a person whose name is redacted, in which they write to Epstein: “About the event I told u almost a month ago on the island that the Dalai Lama is coming and I want to go there to see him. But I can skip this event if u need my help today.”

The person writes in a later email: “going now to the event with the Dalai Lama”. There is no mention in the emails that the person actually met or saw the Dalai Lama, who over the years has made numerous public appearances across the world.

Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. He died by suicide in 2019 while in prison facing sex trafficking charges. Several high-profile public figures have been caught up in the latest U.S. release of the documents linked to the financier, with some resigning from their jobs, facing official inquiries and public questioning.