(Feb 6): Norway launched a corruption investigation into former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland as revelations from the Epstein files roil the Nordic nation.
The authority for economic crime, Okokrim, opened a probe into “aggravated corruption” by Jagland, who is also former head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The investigation will look into whether he received gifts and loans as well as paid travel from convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Jagland plans to cooperate with the investigation, which he views as “positive”, his lawyer Anders Brosveet said in an email on Friday.
“Based on what we have uncovered so far, we are confident in the outcome,” he said. “The most important thing now is that Jagland receives a clear and authoritative clarification from the economic crime authority.”
Jagland led the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019 and was head of the Nobel Committee that decides who gets the Nobel Peace Prize, from 2009 to 2015. Jagland was prime minister from 1996 to 1997.
“We consider there are reasonable grounds for investigation, given that he held the positions of chair of the Nobel Committee and secretary general of the Council of Europe during the period covered by the released documents,” the authority said in a statement on Thursday night.
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Thousands of released emails from Epstein have shocked Norway over the past weeks as a number of policymakers and public figures have been revealed to have been in touch with him.
Former foreign minister Borge Brende is being investigated by his employer, the World Economic Forum, for his connections to Epstein. Brende said in a statement that he was unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities and that he regrets not conducting a more thorough investigation into his history.
Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit is also involved, as are two top diplomats.
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“I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing,” Mette-Marit said in a statement relayed by the court’s press office.
The Foreign Ministry is investigating the extent of contact with the diplomats and Epstein. A majority in parliament is now calling for a broader, independent commission to look into the ministry’s Epstein ties.
Norway plans to put forward a proposal to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers that Jagland’s immunity be revoked, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Thursday.
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