A German countess, who for about 20 years had an acquaintance with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and called him " Mr. Wonderful ", is suspected of trying to connect him with senior British politicians, according to recently released emails.
Nicole Junkermann , 50, a London-based technology investor and also known as Countess Nicole Brachetti Peretti, resigned last week as a trustee of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity after details of her relationship with Epstein were revealed.
Her name is mentioned hundreds of times in files released by the US Department of Justice. She reportedly exchanged personal emails with Epstein years after he was imprisoned for sexual abuse of minors, until just weeks before his arrest in 2019.
In one of the emails, Epstein mentioned " our s*x 15 years ago ," while Junkermann referred to him as "sweetheart" and "Mr. Wonderful," even while he was in prison.
The emails suggest that Junkermann attempted to broker meetings between Epstein and senior figures in Britain. In 2018, she wrote to Epstein about a lunch on the West Coast that former Prime Minister David Cameron was to attend, asking if he would like to join.
In another 2012 email, she told Epstein that she had lunch with Lord Kenneth Baker, former Education Minister under Margaret Thatcher.
Also, in a 2013 communication, she expressed her desire to meet Prince Andrew, jokingly writing: "I wanted to meet Prince Andrew."
Junkermann has invested in dozens of technology companies, including Owkin, an artificial intelligence firm in healthcare that has partnered with several National Health Service (NHS) structures. She has also served as an advisor to the NHS and in 2018 was appointed to the Healthtech Advisory Board by then-UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The emails also show that she and Epstein discussed connections and introductions to powerful figures, as well as financial advice. In 2017, Epstein included Junkermann in an email to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, discussing fiscal issues and alternatives like Luxembourg.
That same year, Junkermann married Italian Count Ferdinando Brachetti Peretti, part of a wealthy dynasty that controls Italian energy giant API.
Through a spokesperson, the countess stated that "the scale of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes is shocking" and that she "deeply regrets" her communications with him, adding that she was "completely misled and misled."
She stressed that her thoughts are with the victims and that she hopes that the real perpetrators face justice.