Norwegian police said Thursday they had searched properties belonging to former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland following the launch of a corruption probe over his dealings with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Jagland is being investigated after documents released by the US Justice Department in January suggested that he and/or his family stayed or vacationed with Epstein between 2011 and 2018.
Having served as prime minister from 1996 to 1997, Jagland was at that time secretary general of the Council of Europe and chaired until 2015 the committee that selects the winner of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
In the documents released, Epstein referred to him as “the Nobel big shot”.
Pal Lonseth, chief of the specialised Okokrim economic crimes unit, said that Jagland’s residence in Oslo had been searched and that he was now formally suspected of “aggravated corruption”.
“Okokrim also conducted searches at two other properties in Risor and Rauland” in southern Norway, Lonseth said.
Images shown on Norwegian TV showed several people at Jagland’s Oslo apartment carrying boxes. He was filmed smiling as he left the premises with his lawyer.
The searches were made possible by the lifting of his immunity on Wednesday by the Council of Europe, Lonseth explained.
Police opened an investigation against the 75-year-old last week.
In a separate statement, Jagland’s lawyer, Anders Brosveet, said the searches were expected and standard procedure in these types of investigations.
“Jagland wishes to contribute to ensuring that the case is thoroughly clarified, and the next step is that he will appear for questioning by Okokrim — as he himself has stated he wants,” the lawyer said.
– Paid vacation –
In a letter sent by Okokrim to the Council of Europe requesting his immunity lifted, police said they are investigating whether the benefits Jagland may have received could amount to “passive bribery”.
Okokrim cited repeated instances, between 2011 and 2018, when Jagland and/or members of his family made use of Epstein’s apartments in Paris and New York, as well as stays at his property in Palm Beach, Florida.
“For at least one of these private vacations, travel expenses for six adults appear to have been covered by Mr. Epstein,” Okokrim wrote.
In another exchange, Epstein offered to pay for travel and hotel expenses for six adults to the Caribbean, “which Jagland accepted, but which was later cancelled due to external circumstances”, it added.
“Mr Jagland further appears to have solicited Mr Epstein’s assistance in relation to obtaining a bank loan, but it is unclear whether this actually materialised,” Okokrim said.
Newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) has reported that emails showed that Epstein pressed Jagland on several occasions to try and arrange a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After previously maintaining that his ties with Epstein were part of normal diplomatic activities, Jagland told newspaper Aftenposten this month that he had shown “poor judgement”.
A mere mention in the files does not imply wrongdoing, but several other prominent Norwegians have been caught up in the turmoil after the release of a new cache of nearly three million documents related to the investigation of Epstein, who died in US custody 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Among them are hundreds of emails dated between 2011 and 2014 — often with a strikingly intimate tone — between Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the financier, who had already been convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor.
Also named in the files are World Economic Forum CEO and former foreign minister Borge Brende and another former premier, Kjell Magne Bondevik.
Norwegian police have also opened an investigation into “aggravated corruption” against high-profile diplomat Mona Juul, along with her husband Terje Rod-Larsen for suspected complicity.
