Newly released documents from a US Department of Justice investigation reveal that Jeffrey Epstein explored plans to access billions of dollars in frozen Libyan state assets following the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan volunteers wave a pre-Qaddafi flag on the outskirts of the eastern Libyan city of Ras Lanuf, Tuesday, 8 March 2011.© Tara Todras-Whitehill/AP2011

An email dated July 2011, disclosed in the latest batch of Epstein files, outlines a strategy to take advantage of Libya’s “political and economic turmoil” to identify and potentially recover funds held in Western countries. At the time, an estimated $80 billion in Libyan assets were frozen worldwide, including $32.4 billion in the United States.

The correspondence described the funds as “stolen and misappropriated” and suggested their true value could be three to four times higher. Epstein argued that Libya’s oil wealth and educated workforce made the country a strategic opportunity for financial and legal investment.

According to the documents, preliminary discussions were held with international law firms that would potentially pursue recovery efforts on a contingency-fee basis, meaning payment would depend on successfully securing the funds.

The files also indicate that former officials from the UK’s MI6 and Israel’s Mossad expressed willingness to assist in identifying and tracing the frozen assets. The email suggested that recovering even a small portion of the funds could generate “billions of dollars.”

Libya’s assets were frozen under UN Security Council Resolution 1973 in March 2011 as part of sanctions against Gaddafi’s regime. Efforts to recover the money have continued under successive Libyan governments. In 2025, Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity formed a legal committee to pursue the assets in cooperation with other countries.

Ongoing political instability and conflict have slowed progress, with several countries filing lawsuits seeking to claim parts of the funds. The documents do not show whether Epstein’s plans advanced beyond early discussions.

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Key Takeaways

• Epstein explored accessing up to $80bn in frozen Libyan assets.

• Emails cite involvement from former MI6 and Mossad officials.

• No evidence shows the plans moved beyond preliminary talks.

Jeffrey Epstein sought access to billions in frozen Libyan assets

How little of the oil wealth trickled down

to the Libyan people.

Epstein ....the uninvited guest who vomits

at the dinner table !

1 hour ago, bannork said:

The files also indicate that former officials from the UK’s MI6 and Israel’s Mossad expressed willingness to assist in identifying and tracing the frozen assets.

That is what worries me the most. The locations of those frozen funds should be well documented, not?

So why some spy agencies would need to trace them?

My feeling is that some people get very rich of those invasions.