Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been charged with gross corruption over his links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Norwegian police said.
The charge was filed after the Council of Europe lifted Jagland’s diplomatic immunity, which he held due to his former role as secretary general of the organisation. His lawyer said Jagland denies criminal liability and is ready to cooperate with investigators.
Norway’s economic crime unit Økokrim has searched three of Jagland’s properties and is expected to question him as part of the investigation.
Authorities launched the probe earlier this month into alleged acts of gross corruption said to have taken place between 2011 and 2018, during Jagland’s tenure at the Council of Europe.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice, often referred to as the Epstein files, suggest Epstein may have covered travel expenses for Jagland and his family to visit properties in Paris, New York and Palm Beach. A planned family trip to Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2014 was later cancelled.
There are also allegations that Jagland sought Epstein’s help in securing a bank loan, although it remains unclear whether this occurred. Police have not confirmed whether that claim forms part of the charge.
Being named in the US files does not in itself indicate wrongdoing.
Jagland served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and later chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee. He was secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019.
The case comes amid wider scrutiny in Norway after US authorities released millions of emails, images and investigative records related to Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Several other Norwegian public figures have faced investigation or review over alleged links to Epstein, including diplomats and senior officials. Some have denied wrongdoing, while others have apologised for past associations.
The investigation into Jagland is ongoing.
With inputs from BBC