Gates Foundation opens external review of ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Facing renewed scrutiny over its past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, the Gates Foundation said it launched an external review earlier this year into how the organisation engaged with the late financier and convicted sex offender.

The foundation has remained under pressure because of Chairman Bill Gates’ ties to Epstein.

That pressure intensified in January, when emails released by the US Justice Department showed exchanges between Epstein and Gates Foundation staff.

“Early this year, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships,” the foundation said in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development, said Mr Suzman told employees in a memo, “this is a challenging time for our organisation in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now”.

The foundation said the review was disclosed in a March email sent across the organisation.

It said in February that it had never made financial payments to Epstein or employed him, and added that it regrets any interaction staff had with him in any form.

The DOJ documents also included photographs of Bill Gates with Epstein, along with images showing him beside women whose faces were redacted.

Mr Gates has said his dealings with Epstein were limited to philanthropy and that meeting with him had been a mistake.

He has also denied spending time with victims of the financier’s sexual abuse.

A spokesperson for the organisation said that at a town hall with foundation employees in February, Mr Gates “took responsibility for his actions” over his connections to Epstein.

Mr Gates serves as chair and board member of the foundation he launched with his then-wife in 2000, an organisation that has become one of the world’s largest backers of global health initiatives.