Black Says He Paid to Hide Affair, Denies It Led to Apollo Exit

Leon Black, who abruptly stepped down last month as chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management Inc., said he made payments for years to keep a consensual affair secret and that accusations over the episode on social media had nothing to do with his departure.

Black, 69, denied allegations levied by Guzel Ganieva on Twitter, who wrote in little-noticed posts in mid-March: “I was sexually harassed and abused by him for years” and ultimately “forced” to sign a non-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 off his post March 21, citing unspecified health issues for himself and his wife.