How Epstein Brokered a Mass Surveillance Deal for Ivory Coast

In December 2010, Ivory Coast was mid-civil war. Laurent Gbagbo had refused to concede after losing the election to Alassane Ouattara, and fighting was spreading across Abidjan. While that was unfolding, Karim Wade, son of Senegal's president and a regular Epstein correspondent, emailed Epstein to explain why he'd gone quiet: "I am on the crisis on Ivory Coast." Epstein wrote back: "I m with Prince Andrew at my house in New York, call if you get a chance... We are talking about the opportuites in Africa" (vol00009-efta00633187-pdf-1). Prince Andrew was in the room.

Ouattara won the war in April 2011, with UN and French forces arresting Gbagbo. Epstein was already booking his Africa trip. A proposed routing email from his pilot listed the stops: Newark, Azores, Dakar, Bamako, Niamey, Benin City, Libreville, continuing toward Abidjan (EFTA01866037-0). That same month Nina Keita, Ouattara's niece, a former model who had been on Epstein's jet since at least 2002, wrote asking for "more details concerning your trip to Abidjan."

In November 2011, Epstein's team began preparing for the trip in earnest. Lesley Groff sent CDC vaccination guidance for Ivory Coast (EFTA01740736-0). An assistant wrote: "I did. Do you think it's what he wants? I was a bit scared of him today !!" (EFTA02180054-0). In January 2012, Epstein landed in Abidjan. A forwarded email describes his schedule: "He is scheduled with the president at 4pm then minister of economy and finance at 6:30pm. Dinner at 8:30 with minister of interior." (EFTA01990469-0). "Wednesday he meets with director of bureau of commerce and industry at 10, then ceo of the port at 12 with a tour of the port. Lunch with general coulibaly around 2pm" (EFTA01990469-0). Amadou Gon Coulibaly would later become Prime Minister.

The access had rules. In February 2012, Nina Keita wrote to Epstein apologizing on Ouattara's behalf. The president was "really unhappy and annoyed." Epstein had tried to introduce a minister to an investor without clearing it through the presidential chain first. Nina relayed the protocol: all contacts had to go through Ouattara personally, or through Marcel Amon Tanoh, his director of staff, or Amadou Gon Coulibaly. "The ministers execute but all the orders come from him and the 2 other people" (EFTA01841982-0).

The Gates Foundation connection had started before the trip. On January 11, Epstein hosted Jenna Brereton at his Manhattan home. Brereton worked at Geneva Global, a consulting firm that had administered a PEPFAR grant in Ivory Coast, and was now seconded to the Gates Foundation's Global Health Policy & Advocacy division. Boris Nikolic, a Gates science adviser already in Epstein's orbit, had flagged her interest in Africa. After the meeting Epstein wrote: "I am going to see the president of the Ivory coast , in abdigan and spend a couple of days with him and his top ministers.. I wanted to know if there was something i could do to help you there" (EFTA01843946-2). He followed up the same evening: "I am good friends with Outarra as well as many of the more normal leaders. Boris told me of your interest in africa" (EFTA01844230-1). That night Brereton confirmed to Nikolic: "Jeffrey reached out to me earlier today about Ivory Coast, so we're in contact" (EFTA01844864-0).

Two months later, after the rebuke from Nina, Epstein routed the introduction through the correct channel. He connected Brereton and Nina directly: "jenna, nina is the niece of the president of the ivory coast. i am making this my introduction of two extraordinary women to each other" (EFTA01838954-1). Nina wrote back, relaying that Epstein had called Brereton "in charge of the Ivory Coast at the Gates Foundation." She had already taken the request to Marcel Amon Tanoh, who was "very interested in discussing opportunities for the Gates Foundation to fund health and education initiatives in the Ivory Coast" (EFTA01838954-0). Brereton replied that there was no one at the foundation "on point" for Ivory Coast. Program officers worked by strategy, not geography. She told Nina to have Tanoh identify a specific topic, and she would find the right person internally (vol00009-efta00708736-pdf-0).

The meetings didn't stay in Abidjan. In June 2012, Ouattara flew to Jerusalem and met Ehud Barak, then Israel's Defence Minister, and Netanyahu. Epstein had been seeing Barak regularly for years. In September 2013 he sent Barak the personal email addresses of Sidi Tiémoko Touré, Ouattara's chief of staff: "chief of staff of outara, he arrives tomorw, try to coordianate, i am flexible" (b06cfc4532695383b7fb74ed77baf90a-0). Keita had made the connection.

A mass surveillance contract followed: Ivory Coast's phone and internet communications, built by former Israeli intelligence officials, formalised in 2014. Ouattara has since banned protests and imprisoned opponents. The emails don't establish a link between the surveillance system and those crackdowns.