A scandal that reads like a thriller has engulfed Norway’s political elite. Former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland now faces “gross corruption” charges over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and he’s not alone.
The charges came after the Council of Europe stripped Jagland of his diplomatic immunity, a protection he’d enjoyed from his decade-long stint as the organization’s secretary general. His lawyer insists he denies any criminal wrongdoing and will cooperate fully with investigators.
The evidence is damning. Emails released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Jagland planning private visits, some with family, to Epstein’s luxurious properties in Paris, New York, and Palm Beach. These trips allegedly occurred after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a child for prostitution.
One particularly troubling detail: a planned 2014 family vacation to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, canceled only because the billionaire fell ill. Documents also suggest Epstein covered travel expenses for Jagland and his relatives. Norwegian broadcaster NRK reports additional allegations that Jagland sought Epstein’s help securing a bank loan, though whether this materialized remains unclear.
Norwegian crime unit Økokrim isn’t playing around. They’ve searched three of Jagland’s properties, his Oslo home plus two others in Risør and Rauland. Cameras caught the former leader leaving his residence Thursday alongside his attorney, stone-faced and silent.
Jagland’s fall from grace is particularly striking given his résumé: prime minister from 1996 to 1997, former head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and a decade leading Europe’s democracy and human rights watchdog. Now he’s under investigation for alleged corruption spanning 2011 to 2018.
But Norway’s Epstein problem extends far beyond one ex-prime minister. Crown Princess Mette-Marit issued a “profound apology” after revelations she’d exchanged messages with Epstein for three years. Diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen face their own corruption probe after reports surfaced that Epstein’s will, signed days before his 2019 jail cell death, allegedly promised their children five million dollars each.
Even World Economic Forum chief Borge Brende, Norway’s former foreign minister, got caught in the dragnet. He’s admitted dining with Epstein three times and exchanging messages, though he claims complete ignorance of the predator’s criminal past. The WEF has launched an independent review.
The Epstein files keep delivering shockwaves across the Nordic nation, exposing how deeply the financier penetrated Europe’s corridors of power.
