Feb 6, 2026, 10:47Feb 6, 2026, 10:47
According to the latest publications in Norway, ex-Prime Minister and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, is being investigated in the Epstein case. The Norwegian is suspected of serious corruption, as the NTB news agency reported.
Thorbjørn Jagland (archive image).Image: IMAGO / Pacific Press Agency
“We believe that there are sufficient grounds for an investigation,” said the head of the Norwegian Office for Combating Economic Crime, Pål K. Lønseth.
The investigation is intended to clarify whether Jagland accepted gifts, trips and loans during his term as general secretary. According to the NTB, this is implied by information from the files surrounding the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The documents are intended to show that Jagland had contact with the US businessman several times between 2016 and 2018. During this period, the Norwegian was both Secretary General of the Council of Europe and a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. He was its chairman from 2009 to 2015.
Planning a family vacation on Epstein’s Island?
According to Norwegian media, Epstein and Jagland are said to have discussed real estate purchases. Jagland also planned a vacation with his family on Epstein’s island, but that didn’t happen.
As former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Jagland enjoys immunity. In connection with the investigation against him, the Office for Combating Economic Crime has asked the Norwegian Foreign Ministry to take the initiative to lift it.
“It is important that this case is solved,” said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, according to NTB. “Jagland’s immunity must not stand in the way of this. “That is why I have decided that Norway will submit a proposal to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to remove Jagland’s immunity.”
In addition to Jagland, the latest Epstein publications have put several other Norwegians in distress. The Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, for example, has been under great pressure since then: she is said to have exchanged private emails with the convicted sex offender for years. (hkl/sda/dpa)