Norwegian prosecutors have launched a corruption investigation into former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland after newly released documents linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein allegedly showed possible benefit transfers during Jagland’s time in senior international roles.
Norway’s national investigation authority, the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim), said it has opened an investigation targeting Jagland on suspicion of aggravated corruption.
Jagland served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and later held two high-profile international roles. He was secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019 and chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize, between 2009 and 2015.
He told Aftenposten at the beinning of February and other outlets that he showed "poor judgment" in maintaining ties with Epstein and said, "I never would have had this contact if I knew what we know now," according to News24.
Økokrim said the probe was prompted by millions of documents released by the U.S. Justice Department under a transparency law passed last year. The files include emails and correspondence that have drawn widespread scrutiny and renewed controversy over Epstein’s network of contacts.
Investigators are examining whether Jagland may have received gifts, travel benefits, or other advantages in connection with his official positions during the period covered by the documents, according to Norwegian authorities.
Because Jagland may hold immunity for actions taken in his former international roles, Økokrim has asked Norway’s foreign ministry to seek a waiver from the Council of Europe. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide confirmed Norway will submit a request to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to lift that immunity.
“In Norway, there is equality before the law. It cannot be the case that anyone is above the rules,” Eide told public broadcaster NRK.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute is also reviewing whether Jagland may have received financial benefits that breached its ethical guidelines.
The U.S. Justice Department recently released millions of pages of material, thousands of videos, and hundreds of thousands of images related to Epstein under a transparency law. The documents include photographs, investigative records, and grand jury material, although many pages remain heavily redacted to protect victims.
Epstein was accused of running a sex trafficking network involving underage girls and was facing federal charges in the United States when he was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019. U.S. authorities ruled his death a suicide. He had previously been charged with sexually abusing dozens of girls, some as young as 14.
Norwegian officials stress that the opening of an investigation does not imply guilt, but reflects what they describe as a threshold of reasonable suspicion based on the newly released material.
The case adds to a growing list of high-profile figures whose names have surfaced in connection with the Epstein document releases, intensifying international attention on how powerful individuals may have interacted with the late financier.
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