Hermes International SA Chief Executive Axel Dumas stated on the 12th that he had repeatedly declined meetings with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein and believes he was once a "target" of Epstein. Documents previously released by the US Department of Justice show that Epstein sent multiple emails to Dumas's assistant in 2013 and 2014 requesting to arrange meetings with Dumas.

Dumas said he only met Epstein once, at a Hermes workshop event in March 2013. However, Epstein was not on the guest list for that event and gained entry by accompanying film director Woody Allen and his wife. "After that, he tried to meet with me three more times, and I refused each time. I cannot tell you exactly how much we knew about him then, as my memory of events 13 years ago is not precise, but he already had a bad reputation at the time," Dumas stated. Dumas described Epstein as a "financial predator" and said Epstein attempted to make contact with Hermes during a period when the group was facing acquisition turmoil. "I think I was a target at the time; I was a young CEO then." It was noted that it could not be independently verified whether Woody Allen and his wife attended the event with Epstein. Allen and his wife did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor. He was arrested again in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, with the death ruled a suicide. However, a widely circulated theory suggests Epstein was killed because he possessed a "client list" of prominent figures that could be used for blackmail. For years, there has been speculation that influential individuals from politics, finance, academia, and business in the US and Europe who associated with Epstein may have been involved in or turned a blind eye to his crimes.