Report highlights Gates Foundation interaction with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on donor fund and grant, but rules out wrongdoing.
The Gates Foundation has found no evidence that the organisation made payments or was involved in any criminal activities tied to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to an external review.
The philanthropic organisation released its findings on Tuesday following a several-month external review conducted by the law firm WilmerHale.
The report, which the United States-based organisation commissioned in March, found that the Gates Foundation engaged with the late financier on two separate occasions between 2011 and 2014. The first involved a proposed donor-advised fund (DAF) to support global public health initiatives.
The report, which included interviews with 50 current and former staff members, found that the Gates Foundation did not pursue the fund after Epstein was unable to deliver on commitments from other philanthropic partners. The report said this became apparent during a 2014 breakfast meeting.
“Epstein had misrepresented the potential donors’ knowledge of and willingness to commit to the DAF,” the report said.
The report said the second incident revolved around the International Peace Institute (IPI). Epstein introduced chairman Bill Gates to IPI in 2012. In 2013, after IPI gave Gates a presentation on polio eradication campaigns, the Gates Foundation awarded IPI a grant. The report said that Gates was aware of Epstein’s ties to IPI’s president.
As part of the review, the Gates Foundation also introduced new safeguards. Among them is a more centralised vetting process for potential donors and partners. It also said that it would “expand its policies” regarding possible conflicts of interest but did not specify what those changes would be. The organisation also said that it would improve training on the handling of sensitive information and records.
The findings come a week after Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett said he would end donations to the philanthropy. Buffett has donated more than $47bn worth of Berkshire stock to the Gates Foundation since 2006.
Before the US Congress’s House Oversight Committee in June, Gates addressed his connections to Epstein and said he made “a grave error in judgement” by meeting with the late financier.