Bill Gates testified before a congressional committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and admitted something rarely heard from a billionaire: „It's possible I was in the presence of victims.“ At the same time, he claims he was never a witness to nor a participant in any sexual crime.

Gates described the relationship as „strictly professional“ and lasting three years. He was introduced to Epstein by the Croatian doctor and investor Boris Nikolić in 2011. Now Gates says he should have taken Epstein's reputation and criminal history more seriously before entering that connection - an admission that comes too late for the victims, but is still rare for a man of his standing.

Even more interesting is the part about blackmail. According to Gates, Epstein tried to extort him using private information about his infidelities, and that information was passed to him precisely by Nikolić. Gates claims he ordered his team never to pay anything of what Epstein demanded.

Epstein's story long ago stopped being just a criminal case - it became a mirror in which the most powerful people on the planet are reflected, trying to explain how they ended up in his circle. When billionaires one by one admit they „maybe“ saw something, the question isn't whether they knew - but why they stayed silent for so long.