Bill Gates apologizes for relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, admits extramarital affair
Bill Gates apologized for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to having an extramarital affair in a phone call to the Gates Foundation’s City Hall.
ZURICH, Feb 26 (Reuters) – World Economic Forum Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Borge Brende said on Thursday he would resign, weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into its links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Brende, who took over as WEF chairman in 2017, announced his decision in a statement following revelations by the US Department of Justice that the Norwegian had three business dinners with Epstein and also corresponded with the disgraced investor via email and text messages.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as Chairman and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My eight and a half years here have been extremely rewarding,” Brende said in a statement. The statement did not mention Epstein.
Brende, a former Norwegian Foreign Minister, added: “I am grateful for the excellent cooperation with my colleagues, partners and constituents, and believe that now is the right time for the Forum to continue its important work undisturbed.”
Brende said she did not know about Epstein’s past or criminal activities until she first met him in 2018, and said she regrets not investigating Epstein more thoroughly.
Brende’s decision to resign follows a series of revelations about Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The revelations have shaken the business world, political elites and even the British royal family.
independent review
Andre Hofmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the Geneva-based forum that organizes the annual Davos conference, said in a separate statement that an independent investigation conducted by outside lawyers into the relationship between Mr. Brende and Mr. Epstein had concluded.
The investigation said there were no additional concerns beyond those identified to date, it added.
The co-chairs said WEF’s Alois Zwingi will serve as interim president and CEO, and the forum’s board will oversee the leadership transition, including plans to drive the process of identifying a permanent successor.
The U.S. Department of Justice has released more than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
His relationships with a number of business and political leaders, including US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have come under intense scrutiny.
Overseas, the revelations prompted criminal investigations into Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, and other prominent figures.
(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Thomas Seythal and Alex Richardson)
