Norway Gets Serious About Former PM Who Befriended Epstein and Favored Putin
Norwegian police have raided the homes of former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland. The politician's immunity was previously lifted as part of an investigation into his ties with financier Jeffrey Epstein, Euronews reports .
Thorbjørn Jagland. Photo: AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel
According to Jagland's lawyer, the searches took place on February 12 and were conducted by Okokrim, a specialized unit for combating economic crimes. The possible corrupt aspect of the former prime minister's relationship with Epstein is being investigated.
The scandal erupted after the US Department of Justice published documents in January indicating that Jagland and his family visited Epstein's home between 2011 and 2018, when Jagland was head of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee and Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe granted the Norwegian authorities' request to withdraw Jagland's immunity. According to Council representatives, immunity is intended to protect the independent performance of official duties, not for personal gain.
Thorbjørn Jagland was a controversial figure on the international stage: he was criticized for his allegedly overly friendly attitude towards the Russian leadership and President Vladimir Putin. After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia was under sanctions, but in 2019, Jagland led attempts to restore Moscow's voting rights in the Council of Europe. Only after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was Russia excluded from the organization. Analysts and members of the Council of Europe criticized Jagland for allegedly succumbing to Russian "blackmail."
The published Epstein files also include episodes involving other Norwegian public figures, such as Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who rented Epstein's property in 2013. In 2012, in correspondence with Epstein, she made statements for which she later apologized.
Former Norwegian Ambassador to Jordan, Mona Juul, resigned after it became known that Epstein left her children $10 million in his will. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to investigate her contacts with Epstein.
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