“We believe there are reasonable grounds for investigation, given that during the period covered by the released documents he held the positions of Chairman of the Nobel Committee and Secretary General of the Council of Europe,” Pål Losseth, director of Norway’s economic crime police unit Okokrim, said in a statement.
“Among other things, Okokrim will investigate whether gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position,” the statement said.
Jagland’s lawyer Anders Brosvet said his client welcomed the police launching an investigation and would cooperate fully.
“It’s good for Jagland to get an official explanation from Okokrim, rather than have the entire press corps conduct its own little private investigation,” Brosvet told news agency AFP.
Who is Thorbjorn Jagland?
Jagland, 75, served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1996 to 1997 and later as Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019.
Police also asked that Jagland’s immunity be removed to facilitate the investigation.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Thursday that Norway would submit a proposal to the Council of Europe to revoke Jagland’s immunity. The Council of Europe is an international human rights organization; It is not part of the European Union.
“It is important that the facts of this case are brought to light,” Ide said in a statement.
Between January 2009 and March 2015, Jagland also chaired the committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize.
On Wednesday, Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told reporters that he was waiting to hear what Jagland had to say about his alleged relationship with Epstein.
He said, “If it turns out that Thorbjorn Jagland received significant financial benefits from Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a member of the Nobel Committee, it would be contrary to our code of conduct.”
Latest Epstein file release roils Norway
The exchange between Jagland and Epstein has caused an uproar in Norway.
“I have been with extraordinary girls in Tirana (Albania),” Jagland wrote in a May 2012 message to Epstein.
In January 2013 he said, “As you know, I can’t continue this with only young women.”
Jagland told the daily Aftenposten On Sunday that she had shown “poor judgment” by maintaining a relationship with Epstein.
Jagland is one of several prominent Norwegians facing renewed scrutiny after a new archive of nearly three million documents was published by the US Justice Department last week.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also acknowledged poor judgment in maintaining a relationship with Epstein after his conviction.
On Monday, Norway suspended high-profile diplomat Mona Juul pending an investigation into her alleged ties, while the World Economic Forum announced an independent review of its CEO and former Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende over his dealings with Epstein.
While the documents do not appear to imply wrongdoing, they show connections between Epstein’s circle and public figures who have often downplayed or denied his existence.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico
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