Skip to main content
Search
< All Topics
Print

Sleuth Report: How Jeffrey Epstein Reached an Invitation Only Foreign Ministers Forum After His Conviction

Updated
ByEpsteinWiki
Views28

Overview

In the August 17, 2026 article Epstein 2010 Leads to Tony Blair Today, investigative writer Greg Conners, working with Rye Howard Stone and the Butterfly Bureau, examines records concerning Jeffrey Epstein’s planned November 2010 trip to the Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates.

The central evidence is a six page email chain showing that Epstein received a late invitation to a private diplomatic gathering shortly after completing the house arrest portion of his Florida sentence. The forum was reserved for foreign ministers, senior officials, invited business participants, and speakers. Organizers described it as strictly invitation only and conducted under the Chatham House Rule.

The records show that Lesley Groff coordinated Epstein’s travel, security information, accommodation, and a request for helicopter transportation. They also show that Terje Rød Larsen obtained high level approval for Epstein’s invitation, while United Nations official Fabrice Aidan helped present Epstein to organizers as a legitimate business participant.

The documents establish the invitation and extensive preparations for the trip. They do not, by themselves, conclusively prove that Epstein boarded the booked flight or attended the forum.

The Sir Bani Yas Forum

The Sir Bani Yas Forum was a private diplomatic gathering organized in the United Arab Emirates. The participant list preserved in EFTA01982013 included foreign ministers and senior international officials from Bahrain, France, Greece, Jordan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Other listed participants included representatives connected to the African Union, Arab League, Palestine Liberation Organization, Palestinian Authority, International Peace Institute, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the Quartet on the Middle East.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair appeared on the list in his role as Quartet representative. His presence on the delegate list does not establish that he interacted with Epstein or knew how Epstein obtained access.

The central investigative issue is not that prominent officials attended a diplomatic forum. It is that Epstein, a recently released registered sex offender, was inserted into that environment through personal advocacy and diplomatic channels.

Terje Rød Larsen Secured Epstein’s Invitation

The strongest evidence appears in EFTA02420850, a six page email chain dated October 25 through October 30, 2010.

In the chain, Fabrice Aidan told Pim Valdre that Terje had cleared Epstein’s invitation with an unidentified person referred to as “HH.” A later message stated that Terje, after discussions with “HH,” had invited Epstein to participate as a business participant.

The reference to Terje is consistent with Terje Rød Larsen, who was listed as president of the International Peace Institute on the forum’s participant list. The chain also closes with a message conveying Terje’s thanks and best regards.

This is stronger than a document containing Rød Larsen’s name. It shows an active role in securing Epstein’s admission to the forum.

The record does not identify “HH” by full name. Conners interprets the initials as a reference to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi. That interpretation may be plausible in context, but the email itself does not conclusively establish the person’s identity.

Fabrice Aidan Helped Package Epstein for the Forum

Fabrice Aidan was identified in the correspondence as special assistant to the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General.

In EFTA00753276, Aidan and Epstein discussed the description that would be used to present Epstein to forum organizers. Aidan told Epstein that the proposed description would be sufficient for him, but that there were rigid people who needed to be “contained.”

That language is significant. It indicates that Aidan knew some participants or organizers might object to Epstein’s inclusion and was considering how those objections could be managed.

The available record does not prove that Aidan participated in Epstein’s sexual crimes. It does show that he helped facilitate Epstein’s entry into a sensitive diplomatic gathering after Epstein’s conviction was public record.

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs announced on February 10, 2026, that it had referred Aidan’s situation to the Paris public prosecutor and opened administrative and disciplinary proceedings. The ministry later reported that its inspectorate conducted approximately thirty hearings and forwarded its findings to judicial authorities.

Aidan has denied wrongdoing. A referral or investigation is not a finding of guilt.

Lesley Groff Managed the Travel Arrangements

The email chain shows Lesley Groff communicating directly with Mary McCallum, an executive assistant at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Groff supplied or discussed the following information:

  1. Epstein’s planned arrival date and time
  2. The tail number of Epstein’s Boeing 727, N908JE
  3. Epstein’s passport and photograph
  4. The passport requirements for his traveling companion
  5. Resort accommodation
  6. A request for a suite or villa
  7. A request for helicopter transportation from the airport
  8. Ground transportation between the airport and the resort
  9. A possible change from private aviation to commercial travel

The correspondence therefore documents more than a casual inquiry. It shows Groff performing the administrative work necessary to place Epstein inside a highly controlled international event.

This evidence should be considered alongside EpsteinWiki’s coverage of Lesley Groff’s congressional testimony and the broader questions concerning her knowledge of Epstein’s postconviction activities.

The Redacted Traveling Companion

The records show that Epstein planned to travel with a redacted female companion. Her identity is not established and should not be inferred.

Groff told organizers that the woman would accompany Epstein as an assistant but would not attend forum events or meetings. Groff also stated that Epstein and the companion could share a room.

Organizers responded that villas were reserved for foreign ministers and that the companion could not participate in forum activities because attendance was strictly by personal invitation.

These records establish the existence of a planned companion, the shared accommodation request, and Groff’s description of her role. They do not establish the woman’s age, identity, victim status, knowledge, or relationship with Epstein.

The redaction should remain respected. Nothing necessary to understanding the institutional access described in these records depends upon identifying her.

The Etihad Airways Reservation

Conners cites EFTA02416113, which contains an Etihad Airways electronic ticket issued in Epstein’s name.

The booking was for flight EY32 from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Abu Dhabi on November 4, 2010. It listed Diamond First class, one adult passenger, and a fare of €3,204.05 charged to Epstein’s American Express account.

This reservation supports the conclusion that commercial travel to Abu Dhabi was booked. It also corresponds with Groff’s October 30 message stating that Epstein might fly commercially instead of arriving aboard his Boeing 727.

However, an electronic ticket is evidence of a reservation, not conclusive proof that the passenger boarded the aircraft. Unless a boarding record, arrival record, hotel record, photograph, or comparable evidence is located, the documents should be described as proving planned and booked travel rather than confirmed attendance.

The Private Aircraft Discrepancy

Groff initially told organizers that Epstein would arrive aboard his Boeing 727, tail number N908JE. The later Etihad reservation shows that a commercial alternative was booked.

Conners reports that the Epstein Data Flight Index contains no N908JE flight to or from the Persian Gulf during the relevant period. That absence does not prove the aircraft remained elsewhere because the index is not a complete record of every international flight.

The most supportable conclusion is that Epstein’s office initially planned private travel and later arranged a commercial ticket. The final method of travel has not been conclusively established.

Terje Rød Larsen’s Wider Epstein Relationship

The Sir Bani Yas correspondence was not an isolated appearance of Rød Larsen’s name.

EFTA00902531 contains a January 20, 2011 message in which Rød Larsen wished Epstein a happy birthday and asked whether he could visit around noon.

EFTA00873899 documents later exchanges involving draft materials. EFTA02316736 contains correspondence showing Fabrice Aidan relaying personal information and requests between Epstein’s office and the Rød Larsen family.

These records support a direct and continuing relationship. They are materially different from news clippings, automated invitations, fundraising mailers, or documents that merely contain a public official’s name.

Norway’s economic crime authority, Økokrim, confirmed in February 2026 that it had opened an investigation involving Mona Juul and Terje Rød Larsen. The authority stated that Juul was charged with aggravated corruption and Rød Larsen with contribution to aggravated corruption while investigators determined whether criminal conduct occurred.

Norwegian and French authorities subsequently formed a joint investigative team concerning Epstein related allegations. Rød Larsen and Juul have denied guilt. The investigations remain distinct from proof of a criminal offense.

Tony Blair and the Meaning of the Delegate List

Tony Blair’s inclusion on the 2010 participant list is verified by EFTA01982013. Epstein Data also contains hundreds of documents matching Blair’s name, but raw search totals must be handled carefully.

Some results are unrelated press coverage, event promotions, forwarded articles, or institutional fundraising material. For example, EFTA00681800 is a Milken Institute fundraising message addressed to Epstein that solicited support for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. That document does not prove personal communication between Blair and Epstein.

Blair’s presence on the Sir Bani Yas list establishes that he was among the invited participants. It does not establish that he met Epstein at the forum, knew Epstein had been invited, or assisted with the invitation.

The modern connection identified by Conners is political rather than evidentiary. In January 2026, the White House announced Blair’s appointment to a Gaza executive board associated with President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative.

That development gives Blair’s former diplomatic role renewed public relevance, but it does not convert his appearance on the 2010 forum list into evidence of wrongdoing.

Epstein File Search Counts Require Caution

Conners searched every name on the forum list through the Epstein Data full text corpus. The results ranged from ordinary levels associated with public figures to thousands of documents involving Rød Larsen.

Those totals are useful for finding possible leads, but they do not measure relationships. A name can appear because of direct correspondence, a contact list, a forwarded article, a fundraising message, a conference advertisement, or an unrelated person with the same surname.

The article states that every name on the delegate list returned matching records. However, its own table reported zero results for Luís Amado. Conners reasonably suggested that spelling, accent marks, or optical character recognition errors could explain that result, but the claim that every name produced a match is not fully supported by the displayed count.

Search totals should therefore be treated as discovery tools. Each document must be opened, read, dated, and classified before it can support a factual conclusion.

The Congressional Question That Was Never Asked

Groff appeared voluntarily for a transcribed interview before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on June 9, 2026.

The House Oversight Committee released the transcript on June 23. The interview was not under oath and was not recorded.

According to the published transcript, Groff said she regularly scheduled massages but did not knowingly schedule anyone underage. She also said she never saw anything improper.

The committee asked Groff whether she had arranged massages for Terje Rød Larsen and whether she had seen him abuse anyone. She answered no to both questions.

The committee did not ask about:

  1. The Sir Bani Yas Forum
  2. Abu Dhabi
  3. Mary McCallum
  4. Fabrice Aidan
  5. Epstein’s shared accommodation request
  6. The redacted traveling companion
  7. The helicopter request
  8. The diplomatic clearance
  9. The Etihad Airways reservation

This omission matters because Groff personally handled the logistics documented in EFTA02420850. The records offered investigators a precise opportunity to ask how Epstein obtained access, who requested his invitation, what Groff understood about the gathering, and whether the planned trip occurred.

None of those questions appears in the published transcript.

Fact Check Assessment

The central documentary findings in Conners’ report are supported by the cited records.

Confirmed: Epstein received a late invitation to participate in the Sir Bani Yas Forum as a business participant.

Confirmed: Terje Rød Larsen was identified as the person who secured approval for Epstein’s invitation after discussions with someone identified only as “HH.”

Confirmed: Fabrice Aidan assisted with presenting Epstein and transmitted the approval to other organizers.

Confirmed: Lesley Groff coordinated passports, photographs, arrival information, accommodation, transportation, and a helicopter request.

Confirmed: Epstein planned to travel with a redacted female companion who was not invited to attend the forum’s meetings.

Confirmed: Groff told organizers Epstein and the companion could share a room.

Confirmed: A commercial Etihad Airways ticket from Paris to Abu Dhabi was issued in Epstein’s name for November 4, 2010.

Not conclusively established: That Epstein boarded the Etihad flight.

Not conclusively established: That Epstein physically attended the Sir Bani Yas Forum.

Not conclusively established: The identity of “HH.”

Not established: That Tony Blair met Epstein at the forum or knew that Epstein had been invited.

Not established: That every appearance of a delegate’s name in the Epstein corpus represents personal contact.

Not established: The identity or status of Epstein’s redacted traveling companion.

Key Takeaways

  1. Epstein’s conviction did not end his access to elite international spaces. Within months of completing house arrest, intermediaries were working to place him inside a private diplomatic gathering.
  2. Terje Rød Larsen’s role was active, not incidental. The records identify him as the person who obtained approval for Epstein’s invitation.
  3. Fabrice Aidan helped navigate internal resistance and package Epstein as a business participant.
  4. Lesley Groff performed the detailed logistical work required for the trip, including accommodation for a redacted companion.
  5. The Etihad ticket proves that commercial travel was booked, but it does not alone prove that Epstein boarded the flight or attended the forum.
  6. Tony Blair’s presence on the delegate list does not establish contact with Epstein or wrongdoing.
  7. Raw Epstein Data search counts are leads, not findings. Each matching document must be individually evaluated.
  8. Congress possessed a published record that could have supported detailed questioning of Groff about the trip, but the subject never appeared in her 230 page interview transcript.

Sources

Posted
ByEpsteinWiki
Tags:
Previous Sleuth Report: How Effective Has the International Criminal Court Been in Bringing Down the Rich and Powerful?
Next Sleuth Report: How Stephen Alexander and Alan Dershowitz Served Jeffrey Epstein Beyond Their Official Roles
Table of Contents