OMM Redaksiyası
Norway’s parliament has begun public hearings on Norwegian diplomats and politicians who had ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The inquiry aims to clarify how these relationships affected the country’s foreign service and how the reputation of state institutions can be restored.
The hearings are being held by the parliament’s Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs. The committee has summoned 11 current and former foreign and development ministers to explain their contacts with Epstein, as well as the government’s plans to restore public confidence in the foreign service.
Prime minister and former ministers to testify
Those expected to appear at the hearings include Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who served as foreign minister from 2005 to 2012. Støre has said he had no relationship with Epstein.
Former Foreign Minister Børge Brende will also testify before the committee. After information emerged about his relationship with Epstein, Brende resigned as president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum.
Brende said he did not know about Epstein’s criminal history when he first met him in 2018 and regretted not conducting a more thorough investigation into the financier.
Former Development Minister Erik Solheim, who was summoned to the hearing, described the parliamentary inquiry as an overreaction. He said the process could discourage diplomats from maintaining lawful and legitimate relationships, thereby harming Norway’s national interests.
Committee Chairman John Andreas Sayed Andersen said the government must explain how it would restore confidence in the foreign service. He said those who continued friendly relations with Epstein had “demonstrated very poor judgment.”
Investigation into prominent Norwegians
The parliamentary hearings form part of a broader investigation into prominent Norwegians whose ties to Epstein are being examined after the US Department of Justice released millions of documents in January.
Former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, former minister Terje Rød-Larsen and former diplomat Mona Juul are among the prominent Norwegians involved in a police investigation into corruption allegations. All three have said they committed no crimes.
Rød-Larsen has apologized for his close relationship with Epstein, including accepting a personal loan from the financier. He stepped down as head of the New York-based International Peace Institute in 2020.
Queen Mette-Marit, the wife of King Haakon, has also apologized for her friendship with Epstein. However, she is not expected to appear before the parliamentary committee.
Diplomatic history to be examined
Alongside the hearings, parliament has established an independent commission of academic and legal experts to examine issues raised in the Epstein documents and assess the integrity and transparency of the Norwegian authorities.
The commission will review more than 30 years of Norway’s diplomatic history. Its report is expected to be released in early 2028.
This is only the ninth investigative commission established by Norway’s parliament in the past 140 years. The fact underscores the scale of the scrutiny facing the country’s political and diplomatic elite.
