Gates Foundation Issues Statement Denying Payments To Jeffrey Epstein

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has publicly denied that it ever made any financial payments to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, clarifying its position after a newly released batch of emails from the U.S. Department of Justice showed communications between foundation staff and Epstein.

In an official statement, the foundation said it is aware of the emails recently made public but stressed that no funds were ever transferred to Epstein and he was never employed by the organisation. The statement emphasised that a small number of foundation employees did have contact with Epstein based on his assertions that he could mobilise significant philanthropic resources for global health and development work — contact the foundation now says it “regrets.”

According to the foundation, interactions occurred because Epstein presented himself as a potential facilitator of large donations, but no collaboration materialised and no fund was created. The organisation reiterated that no financial relationship of any kind was established, even though the communications are part of the Department of Justice’s larger release of documents showing Epstein’s connections with various prominent figures.

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The revelations come as the release of millions of internal Justice Department documents related to Epstein’s activities has drawn scrutiny on a wide range of public figures who had varying degrees of contact with him. Some of the emails include meetings between Epstein and Gates that took place after Epstein’s 2008 conviction on prostitution charges involving a minor, though Gates has described those encounters as a mistake focused on potential philanthropy.

The Gates Foundation’s statement further highlighted that the harm inflicted by Epstein on women and girls was “horrific,” and reiterated the organisation’s commitment to supporting the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable populations — central to its global health mission. Bill Gates himself has previously acknowledged regret over the meetings with Epstein, noting in earlier comments that engaging with him was an error in judgment and that the discussions were strictly about philanthropic goals; however, those interactions did not lead to any funded projects or formal partnership.

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