ISTANBUL

The Norwegian parliament agreed Tuesday to establish an inquiry commission to probe the relationship between authorities and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Parliament's Control and Constitutional Affairs Committee unanimously recommended establishing an independent commission of inquiry into the Epstein case, the NRK broadcaster reported.

"A broad mandate is being established that will encompass the relationship between Norwegian authorities and external organizations, foundations and networks in which Norway has been involved," committee chairman Per-Willy Amundsen said in a statement.

A draft law is also reportedly planned to give the commission unrestricted access to all relevant information "regardless of statutory or contractual confidentiality obligations."

"These are almost police-like investigative methods and powers," added Amundsen.

On Jan. 30, the US Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.

The files revealed that several high-ranking Norwegian officials also had contact with Epstein, including former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.