Khaberni - A recording recently released—among the files related to the accused American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein—revealed a discussion between him and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, where they talked about huge amounts paid to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The recording captured moments where both Epstein and Barak doubted the financial arrangements Blair received for his consulting work, as part of a discussion on strategies former political figures use to make money after leaving office.
Epstein seemed to agree with the large amounts being paid to Blair for his work, but speculated that not all the money went to him, and that some of it went to other parties, although he did not disclose them in the recording.
During the conversation, Barak brought up the "business model," and asked Epstein how to make money from "a contract with a government or governments."
He spoke saying, "Tony Blair—for example—probably earns 11 million dollars annually just from the government of Kazakhstan, in exchange for giving them advice, and helping them pressure some non-governmental organizations or United Nations organizations."
Epstein's response in the conversation was "Tony has become amusing," and added, "I hear huge figures given to Tony, 5 million dollars here, 10 million dollars there, 5 million dollars elsewhere, Tony doesn't make 30 million dollars annually."
Barak answered: "Yes, but he has become... I can tell by the style of his watches that he..." Epstein interrupts, "Yes, but he makes 10 million dollars annually," then Barak replied, "Maybe he gets the money and leaves some for others, maybe for some service providers."
It is noted that Blair was Prime Minister of Britain between 1997 and 2007, a period that included his participation in the Iraq War. After leaving office he provided consulting services to clients—including governments—through his company "Tony Blair Associates."
Blair closed this company in 2016 and then founded the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which describes itself as "a non-profit, non-partisan organization that helps governments and leaders turn bold ideas into reality."
The British newspaper "The Guardian" previously mentioned that "Tony Blair Associates" signed a deal to provide advice to the government of Kazakhstan in 2011, months after the reelection of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Blair also admitted that he met Epstein once at "Downing Street" during his tenure as Prime Minister, while a spokesperson for Blair said the two men had met long before Epstein's crimes and subsequent conviction became known.
The recording is one of thousands of files recently uncovered by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a new massive tranche of investigation files related to the Epstein case, who was charged with cases involving the exploitation of minors, and found dead in his cell in a New York City jail in 2019.
However, the U.S. Department of Justice did not confirm the date of the recorded conversation, while media reports indicate that it took place in early 2013.
