By Micah Jonah
February 25, 2026
Jeffrey Epstein sought to purchase the Bin Ennakhil estate outside Marrakesh in the summer of 2019. The property spans 4.6 hectares, features 60 marble fountains, mosaic courtyards, gold-draped salons, olive trees, more than 2,000 palm trees, a hammam steam spa, and an outdoor pool.
On July 4, 2019, a wire transfer request bearing Epstein’s signature was submitted to buy the Moroccan palace. Two days later, he was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
US Department of Justice documents show Epstein had been negotiating the estate through a layered offshore structure involving the British Virgin Islands and Liechtenstein. As scrutiny increased, banks handling his accounts began rejecting wire transfers and escalating compliance reviews. Tens of millions of dollars sent abroad were subsequently reversed.
Morocco had been part of Epstein’s network long before the 2019 palace negotiations. Emails from 2002 show a recruiter working for Epstein sent photographs of young women in Marrakesh, attempting to lure them for prostitution. A woman questioned by French police confirmed attempts to recruit Moroccan girls for Epstein.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to soliciting a minor for prostitution and served 13 months in jail under a plea agreement that shielded him from federal prosecution. He continued to maintain wealth and influence, moving between homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach, the US Virgin Islands, and Paris.
In February 2019, five months before his arrest, negotiations for Bin Ennakhil involved acquiring shares in a Liechtenstein company linked to the estate through a British Virgin Islands trust. The deal, brokered by Karyna Shuliak, a close associate, was valued at around 25 million euros.
Internal banking records show a wire transfer from Epstein’s account with Deutsche Bank was rejected on March 13, 2019. Epstein then opened accounts with Charles Schwab in April 2019 for Southern Trust, an Epstein-owned entity involved in the purchase. On June 26, 2019, Schwab received instructions to wire 11.15 million euros to a Moroccan account but was asked the next day to reverse the transfer.
A second wire request for 14.95 million dollars was submitted on July 4, 2019, but was canceled on July 9 due to insufficient funds.
On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport on charges of sex trafficking minors from 2002 to 2005. Investigators seized devices containing evidence of sex trafficking and hundreds of sexually suggestive photographs of girls. He was denied bail and held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan. Weeks later, Epstein was found dead in his cell. The New York City medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
The Bin Ennakhil palace was never owned by Epstein and remains a symbol of his failed attempt to expand his wealth abroad.
