WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has ended his long-running annual donations to the Gates Foundation, marking a significant shift in his philanthropic plans weeks after Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates publicly addressed his past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Buffett, 95, had pledged in 2006 to donate Berkshire Hathaway shares each year to what was then the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the rest of his life. However, the foundation was absent from the list of recipients announced on Thursday.
Instead, Buffett said his remaining Berkshire shares will be distributed among four charitable foundations run by members of his family, with all of the stock to be donated by Dec. 31, 2034.
While Buffett did not mention Gates or Epstein in his announcement, he told CNBC in March that he had not spoken to Gates 'since the whole thing was unveiled,' adding that he did not want to be in a position where he might be called as a witness.
Earlier this year, Gates testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee about his meetings with Epstein. He said he met Epstein in 2011 after being told the financier could help raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives.
Gates acknowledged the meetings were a mistake, saying he should never have associated with Epstein regardless of any potential fundraising opportunities.
Buffett, Gates and Melinda French Gates co-founded the Giving Pledge in 2010, encouraging the world's wealthiest individuals to donate the majority of their fortunes to charitable causes during their lifetimes or through their estates.
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