The World Economic Forum, which organises the Davos summit, said Thursday that it would conduct an independent review into its chief executive’s interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Former Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende, 60, has since 2017 been president of the WEF, which organises the annual gathering of the super-rich and powerful in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
“The WEF seeks to clarify recent disclosures regarding its president and CEO, Borge Brende, and his participating in three business dinners with Jeffrey Epstein, along with subsequent email and SMS communications,” the forum said.
“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 forum said it was committed to transparency and aimed to handle the matter thoughtfully and efficiently.
The Geneva-based organisation said Brende would continue to fulfil his roles at the WEF, without involvement in the review process.
Brende was mentioned more than 60 times in the millions of new Epstein documents released last week by the US Justice Department.
Appearing in the released Epstein files does not in itself imply wrongdoing.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a child for prostitution and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence.
Epstein was facing charges of alleged sex trafficking when he killed himself in detention in 2019.
Brende said in a statement that during a visit to New York in 2018, he received an invitation for former Norwegian deputy prime minister Terje Rod-Larsen to join him for dinner with several other leaders, plus “someone who was presented to me as an American investor, Jeffrey Epstein”.
“The following year, I attended two similar dinners with Epstein, alongside other diplomats and business leaders. These dinners, and a few emails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions with him,” he said.
“I was completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities.”
He said that had he known about Epstein’s background, he would have declined the initial invitation for dinner and any other subsequent invitations or communications.
Brende said he recognised that he could have conducted a more thorough investigation into Epstein’s history, and regretted not doing so.
He welcomed the independent review, “which I indeed requested”.
