Epstein Disclosures Shake Europe, With Past or Present Chiefs of Nobel Committee and Davos Forum Targeted in Probes

Disclosures in the Justice Department’s Epstein files are rattling some of Europe’s most distinguished institutions, with the opening of investigations into past or present leaders of the organizations behind the Nobel Peace Prize and the annual Davos economic forum, among others. The tumult lays bare the extent to which the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was able to forge ties with a vast assortment of rich and powerful figures, not only in America but around the globe.Among those under investigation is Thorbjoern Jagland, who served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and was chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 2009 to 2015.The latest tranche of Epstein files, released on January 30, include a 2012 email from Mr. Jagland to Epstein in which he refers to “extraordinary young girls” in Albania. In another email the next year, Mr. Jagland wrote “we have seen pictures of your island and we would be delighted to visit it,” though he insists the visit never materialized.An earlier Epstein dump in November included a 2018 email exchange — at a time when Mr. Jagland was head of the Council of Europe — in which the Norwegian agreed to try to set up a meeting between Epstein and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. There is no evidence that the meeting ever happened.Norway’s Økokrim police unit, which investigates economic crimes, said in a press release Thursday that it considers “there are reasonable grounds for investigation, given that [Mr. Jagland] held the positions of chair of the Nobel Committee and Secretary General of the Council of Europe during the period covered by the released documents.”“Among other things, Økokrim will investigate whether gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position,” the statement said. The Council of Europe was established to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law across Europe.Also under a spotlight is Børge Brende, another former Norwegian foreign minister and currently chairman of the World Economic Forum which hosts the annual Davos gathering of world leaders and business titans.The Justice Department files include at least 100 texts and emails between Epstein and Mr. Brende in 2018 and 2019 and show that the latter attended three “business dinners” at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. Epstein reportedly offered to use his connection with Mr. Brende to lobby for his friends to be invited to the Davos summit.Mr. Bende says there were other business leaders present at the Epstein dinners and that he was unaware of the American’s prior conviction. Nevertheless the WEF says it has opened an investigation of his contacts with Epstein.“In light of these interactions, the Governing Board requested the Audit and Risk Committee to look into the matter, which subsequently decided to initiate an independent review,” the WEF said in a statement.“This decision underscores the Forum’s commitment to transparency and maintaining its integrity,” it added. Mr. Bende says the investigation was opened at his own request.Meanwhile in Paris, a former French culture minister, Jack Lang, has been summoned to the foreign ministry to discuss his ties to Epstein and is facing pressure to resign from his position as president of the World Arab Institute, Reuters and France 24 reported.Mr. Lang’s name appears more than 600 times in the latest tranche of Epstein files, which show that the Frenchman frequently requested the use of Epstein’s private plane and cars for himself and his family members.In a misspelled 2017 email, Mr. Lang thanked Epstein for a “splendid time” the previous day and wrote “Your friendship, the amazing pl=ne m and your extraordinary generosity really touched us.”In a statement this week, Mr. Lang said he was introduced to Epstein by the American actor and director Woody Allen and that he was “completely shocked” to learn recently about Epstein’s conviction as a sex offender. He told a leading French TV network that he had found Epstein to be “passionate about art, culture and cinema.”The World Arab Institute, which Mr. Lang heads, is a government-financed and directed cultural organization designed to foster dialogue and scientific exchange between France and the 22 member states of the Arab League.

Epstein Disclosures Shake Europe, With Past or Present Chiefs of Nobel Committee and Davos Forum Targeted in Probes

Epstein Disclosures Shake Europe, With Past or Present Chiefs of Nobel Committee and Davos Forum Targeted in Probes

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