The release of new documents from the U.S. Department of Justice, known as the \u201cEpstein Files,\u201d has reopened a global debate about the network of connections of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein with political, business, and diplomatic elites worldwide. Among the names appearing in the correspondence are Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, a prominent Slovak diplomat and former EU envoy for the Belgrade\u2013Pristina dialogue, and Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107, former president and prime minister of Montenegro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The documents show that Laj\u010d\u00e1k and Epstein exchanged intensive messages during August, September, and October 2018, discussing a possible visit to Montenegro. In one message, sent on August 21, 2018, Laj\u010d\u00e1k notes that \u201cthe President of Montenegro is looking forward to our visit,\u201d implying that the visit was planned at a high political level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, Epstein ironically suggests that \u0110ukanovi\u0107 \u201cmight need to provide refuge to Donald,\u201d referring to the then-current, and now former, U.S. President Donald Trump, to which Laj\u010d\u00e1k replies that \u201cMontenegro is Donald\u2019s weak spot.\u201d In further correspondence, Epstein sent Laj\u010d\u00e1k links to articles about Montenegro and photos of Kotor, with the Slovak diplomat replying: \u201cI told you Montenegro is great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one message, Epstein asks Laj\u010d\u00e1k whether the head of state in Montenegro is a president or prime minister, and receives the answer: \u201cPresident. Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of the communication also concerns attempts to arrange the timing of the visit, with the first weekend of November 2018 mentioned as a potential date, but Epstein notes that the U.S. midterm elections are taking place at that time and that he \u201cwill try to organize it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the documents available so far, it is unclear whether the visit to Montenegro ever actually took place. Official schedules of Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107 from that period do not record any meetings with either Laj\u010d\u00e1k or Epstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional attention was drawn to a message from January 2019, in which Epstein describes the then-president of Montenegro as \u201ca great guy\u201d in correspondence with a third party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to these reports, Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107 spoke on the social media platform X, emphasizing that he has never met Epstein nor had any direct or indirect communication with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTherefore, I cannot testify to the authenticity of his conversations, nor to any possible visits to Montenegro,\u201d \u0110ukanovi\u0107 stated, with an ironic remark that he cannot answer how Epstein reached the conclusion that \u201cMr. \u0110ukanovi\u0107 is a great guy,\u201d suggesting journalists ask Epstein \u201cif they meet him before me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike \u0110ukanovi\u0107, Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k faced immediate political consequences due to the release of the documents. After emails and messages confirming his communication with Epstein surfaced publicly, Laj\u010d\u00e1k resigned from his position as advisor to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prime Minister Fico accepted the resignation, noting that Slovakia loses \u201can exceptional source of diplomatic experience,\u201d but simultaneously acknowledged that the political pressure was strong, both from the opposition and within the ruling coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his statement, Laj\u010d\u00e1k denied any involvement in Epstein\u2019s criminal activities, asserting that he was never offered sexual services and did not participate in any actions that could compromise him. He emphasized that as a professional diplomat he would never allow himself actions that could lead to discredit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emails released in November, reported by the Brussels portal Euractiv, shed further light on Epstein\u2019s relationship with Laj\u010d\u00e1k.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In them, Epstein describes the Slovak diplomat as a person \u201cof international influence,\u201d and in one 2019 email presents him as \u201cmost importantly, a friend.\u201d In the correspondence, Epstein also uses the nickname \u201cMiro,\u201d indicating a certain level of personal closeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some emails suggest that Epstein saw Laj\u010d\u00e1k as a potential ally in international diplomatic circles, although, as Slovak media noted, there is no evidence that Laj\u010d\u00e1k was aware of or involved in Epstein\u2019s criminal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The released documents reveal a lesser-known but indicative detail about Epstein\u2019s business interests in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to files from 2014, Jeffrey Epstein considered purchasing the Croatian military ship Olimp M-46, with the contact for the transaction provided by Boris Nikoli\u0107, a doctor from Croatia who at the time was collaborating with Microsoft founder Bill Gates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nikoli\u0107 connected Epstein with Zagreb-based builder Zoran Kova\u010d, who was introduced as a broker in the ship sale. Although the ship was formally \u201cnot intended for civilian use,\u201d the emails note that \u201can exception could be made\u201d because the buyer was from the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The correspondence shows that the sale was supposed to be carried out through a \u201cclosed circle of people,\u201d mentioning the interests of the Greek military and contacts with military structures, but the transaction ultimately failed after Epstein requested further clarification on costs and ordered the purchase to be canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeffrey Epstein, billionaire and financier, was convicted in 2008 for procuring minors for prostitution and was registered as a sex offender in multiple U.S. states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was arrested again in 2019 but was soon found dead in his jail cell, with his death officially ruled a suicide, sparking numerous doubts and conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was accused of running a network for the sexual exploitation of underage girls for years and was connected to numerous influential figures in politics, business, and entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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