Gates Foundation says it has opened external review into ties to Epstein

Bill Gates watches a tennis match in Australia. Reuters The Gates Foundation opened an external review earlier this year into its relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual crimes and killed in 2019, the organization said on Tuesday (21). The foundation has been the subject of controversy due to board chairman Bill Gates’ association with Epstein. The release of emails in January by the US Department of Justice also showed communications between Epstein and Gates Foundation employees. 🗒️Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 “Earlier this year, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review to assess the foundation’s past involvement with Epstein and our current policies on vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships,” the foundation said in a statement. “The review is ongoing and we expect the board and management to receive an update this summer,” he added. See the trending videos: See the videos that are trending on g1 The Wall Street Journal, first to report the case on Tuesday, said Suzman said in a memo to employees: “This is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of making difficult decisions now.” The foundation told Reuters the review was announced in an internal email in March. In February, the organization said it did not make financial payments to Epstein or employ him at any time, and that it regrets any interactions its employees had with him. The Justice Department documents also included photos of Bill Gates alongside Epstein, as well as women whose faces were censored. Gates said his relationship with Epstein was limited to philanthropy and that it was a mistake to meet with him. He also denied having spent time with victims of the financier’s sexual abuse. A spokesperson for the organization told Reuters that during an internal meeting with employees in February, Gates “took responsibility for his actions” related to ties to Epstein. Bill Gates is chairman and member of the board of the foundation created by him and his then wife in 2000, one of the world’s largest funders of global health initiatives.

Source link