Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has admitted to having affairs with two Russian women while being married to his ex-wife, Melinda Gates.
Gates, who is 70, also issued an apology to the staff of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for having links with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, he reported that he had relations with two Russian women; one a bridge player and the other a nuclear physicist.
“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” he said in the apology.
Epstein had once threatened Gates over his affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova, the New York Post reported.
He also said that his affairs were later discovered by Epstein. However, he was adamant that the women were not Epstein victims.
“... I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," he said
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates said.
“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
Gates met Epstein in 2011, which was after the disgraced financier was convicted for trafficking a minor. He had also continued to socialise with him, acording to the files released by the US DOJ.
The documents also contain images of Gates posing with women whose identities have been redacted.
In the apology, Gates says that the images of him with the women, who are reportedly Epstein's assistants, were asked to be taken by Epstein after their meetings.
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In 2013, Epstein sent an email to himself about how Gates caught STDs after having affairs with Russian girls.
"To add insult to the injury you them [sic] implore me to please delete the emails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda and the description of your penis." the message read.
Earlier this month the Gates Foundation said that it did not make any financial payments to Epstein or take his services at any time.
The billionaire had come clean about his alleged affairs during his marriage to Melinda, who later filed for divorce in 2021.