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Part of:Ouattara's Abidjan: Four Years of Epstein's Ivory Coast Access
2014Ivory Coast

Epstein brokered Larry Summers a meeting with Ouattara's finance minister

In October 2014, Epstein pitched Côte d'Ivoire's Goldman Sachs alum Minister of Budget Abdourahmane Cissé directly to former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Summers replied with two questions: 'What does he want to talk about? How corrupt is he?' Nina Keita arranged the meeting in New York. Ten days later Cissé wrote back to Epstein thanking him.

On October 5, 2014, Epstein wrote to Larry Summers: "can you make some small time to meet with the finance minister from ivory coast. hes very close to outarra the president former goldman sachs guy Minister Abdourahmane Cisse" (EFTA02590489-0). Summers had served as US Treasury Secretary under Clinton and as President of Harvard. The pitch was for an Ouattara-administration insider, framed by his Goldman Sachs credential and his closeness to the president.

Summers replied the next day: "Sure I know Outtara. What does he want to talk about? How corrupt is he?" (vol00009-efta00997980-pdf-0). Epstein answered in the same chain: "this is the finance minister, outarra is trying hard. not sure of subject. but very well regarded in west africa. Ill tell you all about it wed" (vol00009-efta00997980-pdf-0). The Wednesday reference indicates a meeting was being scheduled within days.

On October 15, Cissé wrote to Epstein from his official Côte d'Ivoire ministerial address. "Dear Jeffrey, Thanks very much for arranging, with Nina, the meeting with Larry Summers. I've honestly been impressed by his humbleness. Let's keep in touch and please do not hesitate to contact me if I could be of any help. I look forward to seeing you in Abidjan so please do not hesitate to stop by" (vol00009-efta00998827-pdf-0). The signature line read: "Abdou Cisse / Abdourahmane Cisse / Minister in charge of Budget, Côte d'Ivoire."

Nina Keita is the same Ouattara niece who had brokered the Ivory Coast surveillance deal with Ehud Barak in 2011. She was now arranging Ivory Coast access at the cabinet-finance-minister level for a former US Treasury Secretary. The asymmetry of the exchange is the story: Epstein had no Africa portfolio and no government role, but he sat in the middle of a request from a sitting West African finance minister to a former US Treasury Secretary. Cissé later became Secretary General of the Presidency of Côte d'Ivoire, the equivalent of chief of staff to Ouattara.

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