The Dalai Lama’s office  denied media reports and posts concerning any links between the Tibetan spiritual leader and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The clarification comes after several media outlets cited documents from the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) and reported that the Dalai Lama’s name appeared 169 times in the widely discussed Epstein files.

IANS reported that, according to some reports, the Buddhist leader’s name allegedly appeared in multiple personal emails and in the index of a book titled ‘Massage for Dummies’, which was included as a scanned document in files released earlier as part of the Epstein case records.

Following these claims, the Dalai Lama’s office issued a statement categorically rejecting any alleged link.

“Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein,” the statement read.

“We can unequivocally confirm that His Holiness has never met Jeffrey Epstein or authorised any meeting or interaction with him by anyone on His Holiness’s behalf,” it added.

Some reports have referred to emails dated October 2012 that allegedly contained references suggesting a meeting between the Tibetan spiritual leader and Epstein, and also indicated that the Dalai Lama was expected to attend an event alongside him.

The controversy has surfaced after the US DoJ recently released a massive collection of records linked to Epstein.

The release reportedly includes more than three million files, over 2,000 videos, and approximately 1,80,000 photographs connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s activities.

According to reports, the newly released documents contain references to several influential personalities from across sectors. Names mentioned in various reports include current and former US Presidents such as Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as business leaders, including Bill Gates, among others.