Epstein Files Reveal How Cash and Power Networks Extended Into Africa
The release of thousands of pages from the US government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein has illuminated not only the sex offender’s crimes but the extraordinary network of power and influence he cultivated across continents. Among the newly detailed connections: close ties to political figures in Senegal and Ivory Coast.
Emails, scheduled meetings, investment proposals, and financial transactions reviewed by AFP attest to Epstein’s relationship with Karim Wade, son of former Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, and with Nina Keita, niece of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.
The Senegal Connection
Wade and Epstein met in 2010 through Emirati businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, then CEO of port giant DP World, who recently resigned amid scrutiny over his Epstein friendship. The pair quickly established rapport.
“Thanks for coming. I think there are many things to consider… I feel confident that we will have fun,” Epstein wrote to Wade on November 15, 2010, after their first meeting in Paris.
“Have a safe trip back to your paradise Island,” Wade replied.
While their exchanges show no link to Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes, they reveal conversations about potential business ventures in finance and energy. Epstein saw Wade, nicknamed the “Minister of Heaven and Earth” for his multiple portfolios, as “one of the most important players in africa.” He introduced him to contacts including then-Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and facilitated meetings with Chinese businessmen.
Their relationship deepened after Wade’s fortunes reversed when his father left office in 2012. That autumn, facing scrutiny over his assets, Epstein offered Wade use of his Florida house: “You and your family are welcome to use my house in palm beach, staff is there, pool etc. you will not suffer.”
When Wade was arrested in 2013 and sentenced in 2015 to six years for corruption, Epstein appears to have provided financial support. Invoices totaling $500,000 from Wade’s lawyer were sent to an Epstein company. Epstein also covered at least $50,000 in fees for a US lobbying firm working for Wade’s release.
Wade was released on June 24, 2016, and went into exile in Qatar.
The Ivory Coast Link
Nina Keita, niece of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, served as a regular intermediary between Epstein and Wade during the latter’s imprisonment. She also facilitated Epstein’s access to her uncle and his team.
After Epstein’s January 2012 visit to Abidjan—for which Keita booked him the “ministerial suite” at the luxury Hotel Ivoire—she reported: “He thought you were a very interesting person! … they were all very happy to have you here.”
Ahead of the visit, Epstein had expressed hope to see “very pretty girls there, as well as interesting places.” Keita replied: “You will!”
Emails show Keita, a former model, at least once sent photos and a phone number of a young woman to Epstein, who met her at the Ritz in Paris. “ask sadia to send pictures of her sister. i prefer under 25,” Epstein wrote afterward.
Now deputy general director of Ivorian petroleum stocks company GESTOCI, Keita also appears in a February 2019 will in which Epstein requested that debts owed to him be canceled upon his death.
What It Means
The Epstein files demonstrate how the financier’s network extended far beyond the United States and Europe into Africa, where he cultivated relationships with political elites through business discussions, social connections, and offers of support during difficult times.
The mere mention of names in the files does not imply wrongdoing. But the documents reveal patterns: introductions to powerful figures, offers of hospitality, discussions of business ventures, and, in some cases, financial transactions. They show how Epstein positioned himself at intersections of wealth and power, and how those intersections spanned continents.
For Senegal and Ivory Coast, the revelations raise questions about the extent of Epstein’s influence and the relationships political figures maintained with him. For the broader public, they add another layer to understanding how a convicted sex offender continued to operate at the highest levels of global society until his death.
The files are released. The questions remain. And for those named within them, the scrutiny is just beginning.
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