New york: An audio recording from a conversation between late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak alleged that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair received "gigantic" sums of money for his consultancy work, Al Jazeera has reported.

According to Anadolu Agency, the recording was released last week by the US Justice Department as part of the latest batch of Epstein-related documents. It revealed Epstein and Barak discussing ways former politicians can make money after leaving office, with Epstein claiming that Blair received substantial payments for his work, while some funds were paid to other parties, the report said Wednesday.

During the conversation, Barak inquires about a "business model" to monetize government contracts, noting that Blair "is doing some probably $11m per year from the Kazakhstan government just to give them advice, to help them with lobbying in some NGO or UN organization." Epstein responds by expressing uncertainty about Blair's financial dealings, stating: "I hear gigantic numbers given to Tony - $5m here, $10m here, $5m there. Tony's not making $30m a year," and estimating Blair's earnings at $10m annually.

Barak suggests that Blair "probably" allocates some of the money to other providers. While the US Justice Department has not confirmed the date of the recorded conversation, it reportedly occurred in early 2013.

A spokesperson for Blair, responding to Al Jazeera, dismissed the figures discussed as "rubbish," emphasizing that Blair never disclosed his earnings to Epstein or Barak. The spokesperson clarified that payments related to Kazakhstan were made to Blair's organization, which employed a team for reform work in Kazakhstan, aligning with international institutional efforts, and unrelated to communications or lobbying.

The latest batch of Epstein-related documents released by the US Justice Department last week includes mentions of several high-profile figures. Epstein, who died in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, had previously pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008 in Florida, a conviction critics deemed a 'sweetheart deal.' His victims have alleged that he managed a vast sex trafficking network utilized by wealthy and political elites.