Jeffrey Epstein's fixer allegedly tried to arrange a meeting for one of Bill Gates' lovers at London's City Hall in 2012, according to emails in the Epstein files. The Microsoft co-founder has accused the paedophile financier of plotting to blackmail him over his extramarital affairs.
Gates' Testimony and Affairs
Giving evidence earlier this month to the United States House oversight committee's probe into Epstein, Gates revealed he had affairs with two Russian women: Karima Nigmatulina, a nuclear physicist, and Mila Antonova, a bridge player. He also disclosed a third affair with medical entrepreneur Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt.
Ms Nigmatulina travelled to London in October 2012 shortly after being appointed deputy director of Moscow's city planning office, according to emails reported by The Times.
Epstein's Request to Fixer
Epstein allegedly wrote to his fixer David Stern: "I need to organise that Karima Nigmatulina who is in charge of city planning of Moscow (she reports to Mayor of Moscow) meets someone (anyone — can be junior) in the office of London Mayor who is doing similar things — zoning and planning of city of London [sic]."
"It can be just a short meeting. It can be someone junior — it does not matter — it just matters that this meeting happens!" he added.
Mr Stern reportedly responded two days later saying he had arranged a meeting with two senior planning officials. It is not clear if the meeting ever took place. City Hall has found no documents to show it did, but its records only go back eight years.
Gates' Congressional Testimony
Gates told the oversight committee: "I was not blackmailed" but "as you look at these emails, you know, it looks like Mr Epstein's brainstorming was going in that direction." He said he never discussed Epstein with the disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, but noted that Epstein "weirdly" kept a picture of the pair together at an official function.
Gates acknowledged in a behind-closed-doors session that meeting Epstein, sentenced in 2008 for soliciting a child for prostitution, "was a grave error in judgment," but said the relationship was limited to philanthropy and denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's abuse of girls.
Epstein's Network and Aftermath
Epstein cultivated ties to wealthy and powerful figures. He was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide. His accomplice, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for luring young girls for Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, had accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager after being trafficked by Epstein. He strongly denied this but reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022. The King stripped Andrew of his royal titles last year, and he was forced to leave his Windsor mansion for the monarch's private Sandringham estate.
The scandal also saw Lord Peter Mandelson fired as UK ambassador to the US over his links with Epstein. Both Andrew and Mandelson were arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over their connections with Epstein; they were subsequently released under investigation and deny any wrongdoing.
