On 27th October 2015 Jeffrey Epstein arranged an urgent late night call with Cynthia Tobiano, the right hand deputy to the President of Edmond de Rothschild bank, Ariane de Rothschild, who was copied into the email exchange.

Epstein had added a link to his email message to the two female bankers flagging an article by the now redundant Malaysian Insider citing revelations just published on Sarawak Report about “RM1.8 billion ringgit” passed through Jho Low accounts. It was among several follow ups of an expose produced by this site earlier in April.

The messages have come to light as part of the recent massive data dump from the Epstein files.  The Sarawak Report article that had caught Epstein’s attention as being relevant to the Edmund de Rothschild bankers detailed investigations in Singapore revealing that Jho had transferred over $500 million dollars of the $700 million stolen from the 2009 1MDB ‘Joint Venture’ from his Good Star bank account in RBS Coutts Zurich to his ADKMIC bank accounts in BSI Singapore.

It had clearly set the cat amongst the pigeons in the close knit private wealth management banking sector of which Epstein was a part.  The issues were ‘complex’ Epstein warned and he wanted to speak to the bankers late that night their time.  “When you want’, Cynthia Tobaino had said:

This and other emails reveal just how close Epstein was to the banking players entangled with Jho Low and the growing panic in their ranks as Sarawak Report and official investigators closed in on their dealings with the politically exposed Malaysian fraudster.

In the intervening months Sarawak Report had already revealed the dangerous information that the Chairman of Aabar, Khadam al Qubaisi had also received a multi-million dollar payment from the same Good Star account into his personal Vasco Trust account at Ariane de Rothschild’s bank in Luxembourg.

Shortly after that article, Khadem al Qubaisi was sacked by the Aabar sovereign wealth fund Aabar/IPIC, which had itself become entangled with 1MDB during its second round of borrowings and thefts involving three bond issues by Goldman Sachs totalling $6.5 billion (of which over a half was spirited away through bogus subsidiaries of Aabar organised by Al Qubaisi).

Soon after that, it had emerged that Edmond de Rothschild’s star client was in jail in Abu Dhabi. By July, Sarawak Report had revealed that prime minister Najib had received $681 million into his account just days after the same Khadem Al Qubaisi had helped orchestrate the raising of the third and $3 billion bond issue from which it would soon be proved the money indeed came.

Sarawak Report continued with a series of articles through 2015 detailing how his half billion dollar Vasco Trust account had furnished lavish spending on a yacht (owned by Sheikh Mansour), a top New York penthouse, a massive Beverley Hills mansion and fleets of cars.  Also, Sarawak Report had detailed a number of other highly compromising business deals by Aabar linked to Jho Low.

In September, the month before the emergency email interchange, Sarawak Report had published an in-depth investigation into Al Qubaisi’s wealth and how his investments were managed out of the half billion dollar Vasco trust account at Edmond de Rothschild.

We had cited his key contact at the bank, the CEO Marc Ambroisien, whom we would reveal had accepted the generous gift of a Porsche motor car from ‘KAQ’ which doubtless had helped smooth the path that by-passed the most basic money laundering checks on the hundreds of millions that had flowed into the account (from 1MDB via Jho Low’s bogus Blackstone Asia account) 2012/13.

A second email referring to Sarawak Report’s investigations into Epstein’s banking network that appears in the Epstein files is dated March 19th 2016, just days after Sarawak Report reported that Edmond de Rothschild bank had quietly sacked Marc Ambroisien, which had in turn followed the dismissal of Goldman Sachs Southeast Asia boss, Tim Leissner, and the ‘early retirement’ of BSI’s Swiss Singapore head Hans Peter Brunner.

Earlier in the year another devastating article by Sarawak Report had confirmed that Jho Low was indeed the owner of the so-called Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partners that had been sending Al Qubaisi all that money into the Edmond de Rothschild Vasco Trust account.

In this March email Epstein gives away some very interesting names from the circle of concerned parties in this matter. “I know Ruben Jeffries has mentioned the Sarawak Report” he tells Ariane de Rothschild, and he suggests that she give ‘Kathy’ “point authority on Luxembourg strategy, for dealing with justice, regulators internal and PR; one strategy well thought through”:

Ruben Jeffery was the President and CEO of Rockerfeller & Co at that time and previously a long-term banker at Goldman Sachs, interspersed with political roles having supported George Bush’s election in 2000 . Was a deal between the bank and the asset management company being held up over the scandalous revelations Ruben had picked up from Sarawak Report and were Jeffery’s Goldman Sachs contacts equally under pressure?

The ‘Kathy’ whom Jeffry Epstein recommended to solve the situation was a former Obama administration lawyer, Kathrine Ruemmler, perfect for the new political climate. Ruemmler, who in a later email about Sarawak Report (below) said she was “very proud” to be Epstein’s friend has featured in numerous Epstein messages.

Last month, in her current role as head of legal affairs at …. Goldman Sachs, Reummler failed to respond to queries posed by Sarawak Report relating to the bank’s role in a toxic corporate takeover battle being waged in Latin America.

Rest up at my island Epstein urged Ariane de Rothschild

The level of crisis experienced by the multi-billionaire pals apparently caused by SR’s 1MDB exposures radiates through the note-form email.

Epstein expresses concern that top banker Ariane, who was married to Edmond de Rothschild, owner of the bank, was meltdown…. maybe she would benefit from a trip to his Island he suggested?”
“I fully understand your exhaustion.. is it possible that you rest without such a physically demanding trip to mangua [sic]? Come visit my island… I worry that you are pushing yourself too hard.”

A third email about Sarawak Report was sent by the above Kathy Ruemmler herself to Epstein 2nd September 2016. She cites this blog in the subject line referencing an article from a few days earlier: ‘Re: 90 Federal Police Officers Raided Edmond de Rothschild Bank! How Aabar Scandal Could Dwarf 1MDB../Sarawak Report“.

Epstein replied suggesting she bring by a mutual contact to see him and suggesting a movie she should watch. She agreed to do both saying “and most important): I=am proud to know you, and very proud you are my friend.”

It is assumed the duo and their contact discussed the further unravelling of Edmond de Rothschild’s 1MDB imbroglio when they met. Days later it would emerge that by this stage of the affair with, Ariane de Rothschild, had herself already been (temporarily) axed by her husband’s bank, which is perhaps one reason why Kathy was keen to cheer Epstein up – her fixing had not worked.

Earlier in April Sarawak Report had reported how the now former CEO was comforted “Don’t worry – you are untouchable!” by a companion after being questioned by journalists about 1MDB. The scandal has proven that not to be the case with numerous greedy financiers who had apparently learned, like Epstein, that big money buys a pass (until it doesn’t).

However, there remain serious questions about the level of punishment incurred. Ms de Rothschild has now inherited her husband’s bank and returned as CEO of its combined operations in 2023. Nearly nine years after the scandal in May 2025 it was finally brought to book becoming the first Luxembourg bank ever to be convicted of money laundering under her watch. In punishment, the bank agreed to merely pay a $25 million fine – water off a duck’s back?

Marc Ambroisien was himself investigated by the Luxembourg financial regulator and banned from the sector for ten years in 2020 – another slap on the wrist for a white collar professional compared to the harsh punishments faced by those who have stolen far less?

Now, it seems possible that more of her actions may finally catch up with the ‘untouchable’ Ariane. When the Wall Street Journal first cited her connections to Epstein in 2023 her bank apparently first saw fit to issue a statement denying she had met with him, however later said she had encountered him in the course of her “usual duties’ 2013-19.

Whether such duties could have included holiday offers on Epstein’s Island seems far fetched. To the contrary, it is clear from these emails that Epstein was providing advice to herself and her deputy on how to handle Sarawak Report’s revelations over 1MDB, through emails and also unrecorded telephone conversations and meetings.

Other emails make clear this was part of a wider relationship in which Ariane de Rothschild was further linked to Epstein’s wider network of business and political dealings that included another key contact and frequent visitor to Epstein’s home, the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak. Why did she deny it?