Microsoft founder Bill Gates confirmed during closed hearings in the U.S. Congress regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case that he had previously had extramarital affairs with two women from Russia – bridge player Mila Antonova and nuclear physicist Karima Nigmatulina, writes The Times.
Bill Gates. Photo: Evan Agostini / Invision/ AP
The billionaire's lawyers managed to ensure that the hearings, which took place on June 10, were held in closed session. However, this week the committee published the transcript of his testimony.
According to the published text, Bill Gates clarified that at the time of the romance, one of the women was between 20 and 30 years old, and the other was between 30 and 40 years old.
Gates stated that during their acquaintance, Karima Nigmatulina was associated with TerraPower, a company in which he invested. He also stated that he did not discuss Epstein with her and knew nothing about any possible contacts between them.
Karima Nigmatulina is the daughter of the famous Russian scientist Robert Nigmatulin. She was educated at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked in the USA, and later returned to Russia to become a professor at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
During the hearings, Gates also revealed that Epstein might have known about his extramarital affairs and could have considered blackmail. Gates himself claims there was no blackmail, but email correspondence indicated that Epstein was interested in the topic.
Draft letters were also discussed, which alleged that Gates supposedly feared contracting a venereal disease from one of his acquaintances and sought a way to treat his ex-wife Melinda French Gates without her knowledge. Gates rejected these claims and stated that he had never suffered from sexually transmitted infections and had never secretly given anyone medication.
He also admitted to another extramarital affair — with Doctor of Medical Sciences Alice Jacobs Nesselrod. According to him, this relationship ended before he met Epstein.
In addition, Gates reported that he met with Epstein approximately 12–14 times between 2010 and 2014 and spoke with him twice via Skype. He noted that he does not rule out the possibility that he could have been in the same company as people who were later recognized as Epstein's victims, although he had previously denied such a possibility.
Bill Gates himself has not been charged with sexual assault or involvement in Epstein's crimes.
Comments