Paris, August 12 (RHC)--Sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s connections in France need to be investigated by the nation’s law enforcement, the French minister for gender equality said.  Epstein died in U.S. custody last weekend by alleged suicide.

The U.S. investigation into Epstein’s alleged sexual abuses of minors was undermined by the disgraced financier’s death in a U.S. jail.  But it uncovered enough evidence involving France that merit a national investigation, Gender Equality Minister Marlène Schiappa said in a statement on Monday.  Such a probe would be “fundamental for the victims” and will also help prevent sexual predation in the future, she argued.

Epstein died in what the authorities called an apparent hanging suicide while being held in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.  He was charged with sexual exploitation of minors as young as 14.

The death may be a relief for many powerful people around the world, who allegedly partook in Epstein’s sexual predation dating back to at least 2002.  Previously he was convicted for paying for sex with an underage girl and given an 18-month prison sentence.