Leon Swart
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Leon Black, who abruptly stepped down as CEO of last month Apollo Global Management Inc., said it had made payments for years to keep a consensus case secret and that accusations about the episode on social media had nothing to do with his departure.
Black, 69, denied the allegations made by Guzel Ganieva on Twitter, who wrote in little-noticed reports in mid-March: “I was sexually harassed and abused by him for years” and eventually “forced” to reach a disclosure agreement. in 2015. Black issued a statement after the New York Post reported that at least four Apollo board members had become aware of her tweets by the time he handed over his post on March 21, citing unspecified health issues for himself and his wife .
“I foolishly had an agreement with Ms Ganieva that ended more than seven years ago,” Black said in the statement on Thursday. “Any allegation of harassment or any other inappropriate conduct in the direction of her is completely fabricated. The truth is that for years I was by me. Ganieva was distracted and that I made significant monetary payments to her, based on her threats to make public about our relationship, in an attempt to save my family from public embarrassment. “
Black had earlier planned to retire at the end of July as CEO of the firm he founded. He said he, on the advice of his lawyer, had asked criminal authorities to investigate Ganieva a few weeks ago.
“It’s a completely personal matter,” he said. “This case has nothing to do with Apollo or my decision to resign from the firm.”
Ganieva, reached by Bloomberg, said via text message: “I stand by what I said in my tweets on March 17.” She said she would refer further questions to a lawyer.
– With help by Heather Perlberg