Newly unearthed documents and correspondence have shed light on how late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein wanted to invest in Nigeria’s crude oil sector.
Evidence from the newly released files by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) suggests that in 2010, Epstein laid the groundwork for his move to invest in Nigeria’s crude oil through high-level intermediaries.
David Stern, a close associate linked to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, reportedly pitched a deal to Epstein involving a middleman with direct access to Nigerian petroleum exports.
The plan was to acquire Nigerian crude and flip it to Chinese buyers for a massive markup.
In one specific exchange, Stern noted that the transaction could net an associate nearly $6 million in profit.
Part of the email reads: “PA has asked me to see a guy who has access to Nigerian oil, and when selling it to China (or somebody else), F. can make around $6m.”
However, there was scepticism about the deal.
“This seems very fishy (as my boss JEE would say),” he wrote.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, also has a very shady oil industry that sees its oil routinely traded illegally on the black market. Efforts by different administrations to ensure full transparency in the sector have had little success. The state oil firm, NNPC Limited, only recently started publishing its audited accounts.
Also, in 2010, Epstein received an email from George Reenstra, founder of Aircraft Service Group, an American firm specialised in aircraft servicing, notifying him of a visit to Nigeria to meet with then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Reenstra declared in the email that the meeting was mandatory. He said that although the trip was unexpected, he could not postpone it.
“I unexpectedly must leave this evening for Nigeria. I have tried hard to delay this trip but it is with the country President and I have no alternative,” the businessman wrote on the 27th of September 2010, four months after Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as Nigeria’s president. There are no indications that the meeting with the Nigerian leader eventually be held.
“I have passed all the documentation to my partner, Jon Parker, and he will be able to assist you in completing the transaction. I will have email access but not the ability to open attachments. Hopefully, we can resolve the contract issues and get the funds into the deposit early this week per our telephone and e-mail exchanges of last week,” Reenstra wrote to Epstein.
Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in the US, was a financier who cultivated relationships with high-profile business executives, politicians, and academics.
Though he presented himself as a wealth manager to billionaires, the precise source of his fortune remained unclear for years.
He first faced investigation in 2005 over allegations of sexually abusing minors, and, in 2008, pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution under a controversial plea agreement in Florida.
Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking minors, but died in a Manhattan jail cell before trial.
Following his death, thousands of court filings, emails, and related documents — often referred to as the ‘Epstein files’ — have continued to surface, shedding light on his global network of financial and political contacts.
