Flights and meetings until 2014: what details did Bill Gates reveal about the Epstein case?
25 February 20:05
American billionaire Bill Gates apologized to employees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for his ties to financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes.
He made the statement during a meeting with staff on February 24. A recording of the conversation was obtained by journalists from The Wall Street Journal, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Gates admitted that he had “made mistakes” that cast a shadow on the charity, but stressed that he was not involved in Epstein’s crimes.
Meetings after the verdict
According to Gates, he began meeting with Epstein in 2011, several years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Gates said he was aware of Epstein’s travel restrictions but did not properly check his background. He continued to maintain contact even after his then-wife Melinda French Gates expressed concern in 2013.
Flights and assurances
The billionaire said he met with Epstein until 2014, flew with him on a private jet, and spent time in Germany, France, New York, and Washington.
He assured that he never stayed overnight or visited Epstein’s private island.
According to Gates, Epstein claimed to have close contacts with other billionaires and offered to help raise funds for global health initiatives. The presence of other influential figures at the meetings, according to Gates, “created a sense of normalcy.”
At the same time, he acknowledged that his contacts with Epstein could have helped the financier improve his reputation.
Letters and possible pressure
The WSJ previously reported that Epstein may have used information about Gates’ personal life as leverage.
During the meeting, Gates talked about his extramarital affairs — with a Russian bridge player and a Russian nuclear physicist. According to him, his advisor Boris Nikolic knew about these relationships and told Epstein about them.
The case file includes a letter from 2013 in which Epstein hinted that public disclosure of these relationships could damage Gates’ reputation and his charitable activities.
What is known about the Epstein case
Epstein was first arrested in 2008, and in 2019 he was charged with new counts of human trafficking. On August 10, 2019, he committed suicide in prison.
In the following years, US courts released large amounts of documents related to the case, mentioning the names of politicians, businessmen, and celebrities. In particular, Donald Trump was publicly accused of having ties to Epstein, but he denied any wrongdoing and filed lawsuits against journalists.
Reputational consequences
Although Gates has not been charged with any crimes, the history of his contacts with Epstein remains a sensitive issue for the reputation of one of the world’s largest charitable foundations.
