1 day ago Billionaire capitalist Leon Black walked retired of a closed-door proceeding with the legislature committee investigating precocious enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein aft refusing to reply questions connected non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), accidental lawmakers.
Black, whose sanction comes up successful the Epstein files released by the justness department, testified voluntarily. But helium near aft helium was asked astir NDAs helium whitethorn person signed, the sheet president said.
The House of Representatives Oversight Committee issued 2 subpoenas for Black to stock NDAs and springiness an on-camera deposition nether oath.
Black near Apollo Global Management, which helium co-founded, successful 2021 amid scrutiny implicit his Epstein ties. He denies wrongdoing.
"We privation to know, was Jeffrey Epstein progressive successful the NDAs?" the committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, said connected Friday.
"Was helium progressive successful writing? Was helium progressive successful awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the crushed for the NDA? We privation to cognize everything astir the NDAs."
Nondisclosure agreements, commonly called NDAs, are contracts wherever some parties hold to support accusation confidential, often arsenic portion of a colony oregon employment agreement.
Black's attorneys confirmed to the BBC helium walked retired aft his ineligible squad "made their last comments".
The backstage equity tycoon hired Epstein arsenic a wealthiness absorption advisor and allegedly spoke to him astir idiosyncratic matters, including extramarital affairs from which NDAs resulted, according to the BBC's media spouse CBS News.
During his little quality connected Friday, Black reportedly told the committee helium had paid Epstein $158m (£120m) for morganatic purposes implicit the people of their years-long association.
That magnitude was the taxable of a Senate probe into whether Black had intentionally overpaid Epstein, cloaking wealth paid for idiosyncratic reasons successful the guise of fiscal services.
Black's attorneys person pointed retired that an interior probe astatine Apollo by the Dechert instrumentality steadfast concluded the fees that Black paid to Epstein were for morganatic taxation advice.
Like galore others who person spoken to the committee arsenic it investigates Epstein's connections to the affluent and powerful, Black said the disgraced financier had deceived him.
"I knew Jekyll. I didn't cognize Hyde," helium said successful his opening statement, a transcript of which his lawyer shared with the BBC.
Black continued: "With the payment of hindsight, I present know, arsenic does the world, that Epstein was engaged successful horrific, sordid activities. I consciousness unspeakable for Epstein's victims.
"I privation to authorities intelligibly that I did not cognize astir this nefarious enactment until Epstein was charged with trafficking successful July 2019."
Black denied ever abusing a woman, oregon being with an underage woman, oregon enactment trafficking, oregon paying Epstein for entree to women, oregon being blackmailed by him.
Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, called the subpoenas "a planned governmental stunt".
"Mr Epstein had nary engagement with immoderate NDAs, whether they beryllium oregon not," she said, adding that the committee "did not inquire a azygous question astir the morganatic payments to Epstein for nonrecreational services connected taxation and property matters".
Black had a six-year matter with a erstwhile Russian model, Guzel Ganieva, which ended successful allegations of abuse, according to tribunal records.
According to a suit filed by Ganieva against Black, which was aboriginal dismissed, helium prepared a nondisclosure statement successful 2015 to unafraid her silence.
Epstein offered Black advice, including suggesting successful an email to his adjunct that Black prosecute erstwhile instrumentality enforcement officers to attack Ganieva, according to files released by the US justness department.
"Choose method of connection delivery, my choice. - 2 highly respected erstwhile ---- capable successful the blank, immigration, scotland yard. sfo. . who whitethorn sound connected her doorway and contiguous the terms," Epstein wrote.
Estrich, Black's attorney, has dismissed Ganieva's accusation arsenic "demonstrably false". Black himself has antecedently said helium was the unfortunate of extortion.
A justice yet dismissed Ganieva's lawsuit, citing the NDA she signed and astir $9m that she had received successful the years aft entering the agreement.
The House Oversight Committee's apical Democrat, Robert Garcia, said successful a connection that Black had "stormed out" of Friday's transcribed interrogation erstwhile asked astir NDAs.
"Leon Black had a accidental to bash the close happening and assistance america bring justness to the survivors," Garcia said.
"Instead, helium ran retired of the country erstwhile helium was pressed for accusation astir his non-disclosure agreements with women and his narration with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein."
Black "will beryllium held accountable if helium doesn't comply with our investigation", Garcia added.
English (US)·