The Parliament of Norway began on Wednesday a series of public hearings to examine the links between the deceased American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and diplomats, politicians, and other prominent figures in the country, a scandal that has raised questions about the judgment of Norwegian officials and prompted political and police investigations.
The hearings come after the U.S. Department of Justice, during the administration of President Donald Trump, released in January millions of documents related to Epstein. The files exposed the financier's contacts with politicians, members of royal families, businesspeople, and influential individuals in various countries, including Norway.
The case has had particular repercussions in the Nordic country, traditionally considered an important player in international diplomacy and the host of the Nobel Peace Prize. The revelation of the links triggered parliamentary and police investigations into possible conflicts of interest and allegations of corruption.
The Norwegian Parliament launched a series of hearings to investigate the connections of several Norwegian public figures with Jeffrey Epstein
The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Oversight and Constitutional Affairs, Jonas Andersen Sayed, stated that the government must explain what measures it is taking to restore trust in the foreign service. He said that some of the individuals who maintained friendships with Epstein demonstrated "very poor judgment."
The committee summoned 11 current and former ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, including the current Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who held the Foreign Affairs portfolio from 2005 to 2012.
Støre reiterated that he never had a relationship with Epstein and maintained that the revelations pertain to the actions of specific individuals and not to a structural problem within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister noted that several of the identified deficiencies have already been corrected or are in the process of being addressed, including updating the rules on conflicts of interest for decision-makers.
"There is no system that can guarantee that mistakes will not be made," Støre stated, adding that, to his knowledge, Epstein did not exert influence over Norwegian foreign policy, development aid, or other official decisions.
The acting Prime Minister of Norway stated that he never had any kind of relationship with the pedophile magnate
Among the most relevant testimonies was that of Børge Brende, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former president and CEO of the World Economic Forum. Brende left that position after his connections with Epstein became known.
During the hearing, Brende stated that he met the financier after he had been a minister and that his contacts were limited to three dinners and communications via email and text messages. He acknowledged that had he known the extent of Epstein's abuses at that time, he would never have maintained contact with him.
Brende also took responsibility for initially lying to a Norwegian newspaper that asked him in November 2025 if he had met Epstein. "I regret not having been honest at the beginning," he declared.
The former Foreign Minister of Norway resigned after his connections to Jeffrey Epstein became known
The former Minister of International Development Erik Solheim supported the investigation but warned that the scandal should not lead Norwegian diplomats to avoid controversial international contacts. He recalled that Oslo maintains communication channels with groups that other governments boycott, such as Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood, as part of its traditional policy of mediation and peace diplomacy.
Meanwhile, several prominent figures linked to Epstein are facing police investigations for alleged corruption. Among them are former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, former Minister Terje Rød-Larsen, and former diplomat Mona Juul. All three have denied any wrongdoing.
The consort queen Mette-Marit, wife of King Haakon, also publicly apologized for her friendship with Epstein, although she is not participating in the parliamentary hearings.
Additionally, the Parliament created an external commission made up of academics and legal experts to investigate the matters revealed by the documents. The investigation will cover more than three decades of Norwegian diplomatic history and aims to formulate recommendations to improve the integrity and transparency of the authorities. The final report is expected in early 2028.
The queen consort of Norway apologized for maintaining a friendship with Epstein for a long time
