The growing controversy surrounding the so-called “Epstein Files” has shaken several Western countries. In Britain, political pressure is mounting on the prime minister, while in the United States the revelations continue to stir intense debate, according to oe24. Now, Austria has also been drawn into the storm.
At the center of attention is a photograph of what appears to be an old Austrian passport, the green version once issued by the country bearing the photo of Jeffrey Epstein. However, the name printed in the passport is not Epstein’s. Instead, it reads “Marius Robert Fortelini.”
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is now demanding clarification in parliament. FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker has submitted a formal inquiry to Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger. According to Hafenecker, photographs show that the passport was certified on May 21, 1982, by an official of the Vienna Federal Police Directorate. He criticized the Foreign Ministry for remaining silent, despite what he described as several visible “Austrian connections” in the Epstein documents.
Reports suggest that the so-called “second passport” may have been issued in 1982 during the government of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky and Interior Minister Erwin Lanc. The name Marius Fortelini is believed to belong to an Austrian citizen living in the United States.
Hafenecker has also pointed to former U.S. Ambassador to Vienna Ronald Lauder, claiming his name appears frequently in the Epstein files.
The FPÖ is demanding answers to ten detailed questions, including which authority issued the passport, whether former Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg was aware of it, and whether Epstein ever held Austrian citizenship. The foreign minister must respond by April 11.
