Norway to Probe Epstein Revelations Amid Europe-Wide Scandal

Norway, one of several European countries feeling the heat from a scandal that hasn’t yet had significant political ramifications in the United States, appears poised to start an investigation into its own foreign ministry for ties to the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Numerous additional Epstein links with politicians, royalty, and the ultra-rich were made public last week when a massive trove of fresh information was made public.

Pressure is mounting on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the king’s brother, to testify in the United States after he was been compelled to give up his opulent home and royal title. The national security adviser to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned when emails he sent to Epstein about young ladies were made public.

Additionally, Jack Lang, the former French cultural minister, is being pressured to step down as the Arab World Institute’s president.

However, Norway, which is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and frequently serves as a pivotal point in international diplomacy, appears to be dealing with a lot of damage.

New attention has been directed at public individuals such as former foreign minister and prime minister Thorbjoern Jagland and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

So are Mona Juul, ambassador to Iraq and Jordan; her husband Terje Roed-Larsen; and former foreign minister Boerge Brende, who is currently the head of the World Economic Forum.

In a palace statement released on Friday, Mette-Marit expressed regret once more for her connections to Epstein, specifically to the king and queen. Even after he was convicted of child sex offenses in 2008, the most recent U.S. papers revealed a great deal of email interaction with him.

In addition, Jagland has served as the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s chairman. Roed-Larsen and Juul assisted in establishing the covert conduit for communications between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization that resulted in the Oslo Accords of 1993–1995.

Although their connections to Epstein were always known, the new papers provide a great deal more information.

According to Norwegian media, most parties in the country’s parliament seem willing to back an impartial investigation into the foreign ministry. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, meanwhile, would rather that parliament carry out the investigation, according to the daily VG.

Jagland is being investigated for aggravated corruption, according to a Thursday statement from Norway’s economic crime police unit. Jagland’s attorney stated that his client would cooperate and was certain of proving his innocence.

As head of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019, Jagland possesses diplomatic immunity, which the foreign ministry said it would strive to remove so that police could conduct an investigation.

The Council of Europe stated that “further action will be decided as needed” after conducting an internal investigation in December and January in response to the Epstein papers that were made public in November.

The ministry suspended Juul while she responds to an internal investigation, and she did not immediately respond to requests for comment.