The latest Epstein files to be released in the United States have triggered a political storm in Norway after two high-placed figures were revealed to have close ties to the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The largest tranche yet of legal documents relating to the prosecution of Epstein for sex offences, including the trafficking of underage girls, includes some 3 million pages of documents, as well as 2,000 videos and 180,000 photographs, and was released a week ago.
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The documents were published under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November after pressure from his supporters to make the files public, fulfilling his campaign promises.
As media, investigators and other interested parties continue to pore through this vast array of material, new revelations have been coming out throughout the week.
They have implicated many famous people, from princes to industry leaders, believed to have been in Epstein’s vast network, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, billionaire Elon Musk, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the United Kingdom Labour politician Peter Mandelson.
In Norway, the revelation of emails between Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Epstein caused initial shockwaves.
Then, on Thursday this week, Norwegian police opened a criminal investigation into former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland on suspicion of “gross corruption” linked to gifts, loans and benefits he may have received from Epstein.
The latest Epstein files also included emails showing that Borge Brende, who was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017, had several business dinners with Epstein.
Here’s what we know about the scandal in Norway:
Who is Thorbjorn Jagland, and what is he being investigated for?
Jagland, 75, is a senior politician within Norway’s Labour Party. He is being investigated for economic corruption.
He was Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and, afterwards, served as foreign affairs minister from 2000 to 2001. He was also head of parliament (stortingspresident) from 2005 to 2009.
However, Jagland’s association with Epstein is linked to his time as secretary-general of the Council of Europe, formed to protect human rights on the continent, and his simultaneous leadership of the Nobel Committee.
He joined the Norwegian Nobel Committee as chairman in 2009. He was later demoted to ordinary member in 2015 after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese rights activist Liu Xiaobo, prompting outrage from China. His demotion was seen as a peace offering to Beijing.
During this time, Jagland was also serving as head of the Council of Europe – he completed two terms from 2009 to 2019. His critics at the time alleged he did not do enough to fight corruption and that he was overly friendly towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Thursday this week, Norwegian police said it is investigating whether Jagland received gifts, loans and travel benefits while serving in those positions after emails between him and Epstein emerged in the released documents last Friday.
Authorities did not provide details as to whether Epstein or people in his network offered those benefits, but Pal K Lonseth, head of a special police economic crimes unit, Okokrim, told reporters that what was revealed in the files “provides a basis for investigating whether these are criminal offences”.
Several Norwegian publications have reported that the new files revealed plans Jagland made for a family visit to Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2014, but say the trip was later cancelled.
Speaking to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, Jagland’s lawyer Anders Brosveet denied the claims and said there was “no question” as to whether the politician received any benefits.
“Based on the information we have found so far, we believe it is quite simple to clarify that this is not a transfer of benefits,” he said.
Following the release of the Epstein files, Jagland stated via his lawyers that his contact with Epstein had been “unwise” and that he “never” related to Epstein around his private life or his “dealings with young girls”.
While Jagland enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution as a former Council of Europe head, the Norwegian police have asked the institution to revoke his protections.
Who is Borge Brende, and what do the Epstein files reveal about him?
Borge Brende, who was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017, had several business dinners with Epstein and communicated with him via email and text message, according to evidence in these files.
Brende, 60,