Newly unsealed court documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case have revealed potential financial connections between the convicted sex offender and Zimbabwe’s late President Robert Mugabe. The documents, released by the US Department of Justice, contain email correspondence suggesting Epstein contemplated engaging with Mugabe’s administration during Zimbabwe’s severe economic crisis.
In a 2015 email exchange with Japanese entrepreneur Joi Ito, Epstein proposed approaching then-President Mugabe to provide Zimbabwe with a new currency following the collapse of the local dollar due to hyperinflation. When Ito questioned whether Epstein had existing ties to Mugabe, Epstein responded that he could “easily get his attention” and described Zimbabwe as a “great petrie dish” for such financial endeavors.
Separate FBI documents from 2017 contain unverified testimony from a confidential human source claiming Epstein served as a wealth manager for both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Robert Mugabe. These allegations remain uncorroborated and being named in the Epstein files does not constitute evidence of wrongdoing.
The revelations present potential legal complications, as Mugabe had been under US sanctions since 2003, prohibiting American companies and citizens from conducting financial transactions with him. Had Epstein provided financial services to Mugabe, he would have been violating these sanctions.
Additional correspondence within the files includes a 2012 email that incorrectly reported Mugabe was on his deathbed in Italy. The sender, identified only as “Jonathan,” sought Epstein’s contacts in Zimbabwe, suggesting investment opportunities if Mugabe’s rule was ending. Mugabe, then 88, appeared healthy days later upon returning from Singapore to lead independence celebrations.
Zimbabwe continues to be governed by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and has struggled with inflation for decades after abandoning the Zimbabwean dollar in 2009. The country recently introduced a gold-backed currency called the Zig, which has shown signs of stabilizing the economy after initial difficulties.
Both Mugabe, who died in 2019 at age 95, and Epstein, who died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, are unable to respond to these allegations. The BBC has contacted both the Mugabe family and the FBI for additional information regarding these documents.