Mar 17, 2026, 6:59 p.mMar 17, 2026, 6:59 p.m
After the involvement of the foreign policy elite in Norway in the Epstein scandal became known, the local parliament unanimously decided to set up an independent investigative commission. The commission is set to examine the work of the Foreign Service and other agencies over the past decades, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.Image: keystone
“It is crucial that the facts come to the table,” said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in parliament. Parliament’s control committee had previously proposed the establishment of the commission. The parliamentary presidium should appoint its members.
Foreign policy celebrities involved in the case
Because of their contacts with the US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Norwegian ex-head of government and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, the previous ambassador to Jordan and Iraq, Mona Juul, and her husband, the former top diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, are already in the focus of the authorities. According to the NTB, investigations are underway against Jagland and Juul on suspicion of serious corruption, and against Rød-Larsen on suspicion of aiding and abetting serious corruption.
Former Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende resigned as head of the World Economic Forum after his contacts with Epstein became known. Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit is said to have maintained a close friendship with the sex offender.
The investigative commission should turn over every stone
The planned investigation should go back to 1993. According to the NTB, it will examine the relationships between Norwegian authorities and external organizations, foundations and networks in which Norway has been involved. (hkl/sda/dpa)