Norway launches Epstein probe as latest revelations shake Europe
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo of a Norwegian national flag by Abdullah Guc via Unsplash
By Gwladys Fouche (Reuters)
OSLO - Norway looks set to launch an inquiry into its own foreign ministry over links to late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, one of several European nations to feel the heat from a scandal that has yet to cause major political repercussions in the U.S.
The release of an enormous cache of new files last week has revealed a host of new Epstein connections with politicians, royals and the ultra-rich.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's future is looking increasingly uncertain over his decision last year to name Peter Mandelson, who had a close friendship with Epstein, as ambassador to Washington.
The king's brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, had already been forced to relinquish his royal title and lavish residence, and pressure is now growing on him to testify in the U.S.
In Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico's national security adviser has resigned after emails were revealed in which he discussed young women with Epstein.
And former French culture minister Jack Lang is being urged to resign as president of the Arab World Institute.
NORWAY IN EPSTEIN SCANDAL SPOTLIGHT
But Norway, home of the Nobel Peace Prize and often a fulcrum of international diplomacy, seems to have more than its share of fallout.
Public figures including Crown Princess Mette-Marit and former prime minister and foreign minister Thorbjoern Jagland are all under fresh scrutiny.
So are former foreign minister Boerge Brende, now leader of the World Economic Forum; Mona Juul, ambassador to Jordan and Iraq; and her husband Terje Roed-Larsen.
On Friday, Mette-Marit apologised again in a statement issued by the palace, notably to the king and queen, for her ties with Epstein. The latest U.S. files showed extensive email correspondence with him even after he was found guilty of child sex crimes in 2008.
Jagland is also a former chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Juul and Roed-Larsen helped set up the secret channel for contacts between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government that led to the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords.
All were known to have had ties to Epstein, but the new files have offered much more detail.
A majority of parties in Norway's parliament appear ready to support an independent inquiry into the foreign ministry, Norwegian media reported. However, the daily VG said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere would prefer parliament to conduct the inquiry.
Norway's economic crime police unit said on Thursday it was investigating Jagland on suspicion of aggravated corruption. Jagland's lawyer said his client was confident of demonstrating his innocence and would cooperate.
JAGLAND CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION
The foreign ministry said it would seek to lift the diplomatic immunity Jagland enjoys, as head of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019, to allow police to investigate.
The Council of Europe said it had conducted an internal inquiry in December and January, prompted by Epstein files released in November, and that "further action will be decided as needed".
Juul did not immediately answer requests for comment sent to the ministry, which has suspended her while she addresses an internal probe.
Roed-Larsen's lawyer said his client was not suspected of any criminal offence, and was ready to cooperate fully with authorities. He said Roed-Larsen, 78, was in rehabilitation after a stroke and having difficulty speaking and writing.
Brende has said he was unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities before first meeting him in 2018, and that he regrets not having investigated him more thoroughly.
Mette-Marit, 52, suffers from chronic lung disease and the palace said she was currently unable to express herself at the length she would wish.
Norway's royal family is already dealing with several challenges. Marius, Mette-Marit's son from a relationship predating her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is currently on trial for rape and domestic violence.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; additional reporting by Nora Buli in Oslo, Gianluca Lo Nostro, Elizabeth Pineau, John Irish and Dominique Vidalon in Paris; writing by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Kevin Liffey // REUTERS)
