Khaberni - Billionaire Bill Gates will testify on June 10 before a Congressional committee investigating the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, a knowledgeable source told AFP on Tuesday.
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, is named in documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice, which revealed close friendship ties, unlawful financial dealings, and private pictures with Epstein.
The source clarified that Gates will undergo a "recorded interview," indicating that his testimony will be held in the same closed room where interview sessions for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton were conducted.
A spokesperson for Bill Gates said that Gates "welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee." He added that Gates "has neither witnessed nor participated in any of Epstein’s illegal activities, but looks forward to answering all the committee's questions to support its important work."
Gates admitted to making a "grave mistake" in his relationship with Epstein and told staff at his charitable foundation in February that he had relationships with two Russian women but denied any involvement in the convicted financier’s crimes.
In a draft email among the documents released by the Department of Justice, Epstein said that Gates had an extramarital relationship, writing that his connection with Gates ranged from "helping Bill obtain drugs to mitigate the consequences of having sex with Russian girls, to facilitating his illicit encounters with married women."
Gates, now 70 years old, publicly admitted to two extramarital relationships.
He said, "I had two relationships, one with a Russian bridge player I met at bridge events, and the other with a Russian nuclear physicist I met through business activities."
However, he denied any involvement with Epstein's victims, who died in his New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.
Gates said in the public meeting, "I did nothing illegal, and I saw nothing illegal."
The technology mogul explained that his relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after the latter pled guilty in a case involving soliciting a minor for prostitution.
He added that he was aware of an 18-month travel ban imposed on Epstein but did not investigate his background.
He said that his then-wife Melinda expressed concerns about Epstein in 2013, but he continued his relationship with him for at least another year.
