Police raid former Norwegian premier’s homes because of Epstein links

ISTANBUL

Norwegian police raided several residences of former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland on Thursday on allegations of links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and aggravated corruption, according to the NRK broadcaster.

Jagland, who also served as secretary general of the Council of Europe and the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is now a suspect in an investigation into gross corruption.

"As an automatic consequence of the search, Jagland now has the formal status of a suspect," Jagland’s defense lawyer, Anders Brosveet, told NRK.

The search by the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Okokrim) came one day after the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers waived immunity for Jagland following a request by Norwegian authorities to pursue proceedings.

The suspicion of gross corruption follows the latest release of Epstein files by the US Justice Department, which revealed years of contact between Jagland and the financier, with the former prime minister reportedly having been offered trips and luxury stays, according to NRK.

The US agency last month released more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In 2008, he pleaded guilty and was convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution, but critics call the relatively minor conviction a “sweetheart deal.”

His victims have alleged that he operated a sprawling sex trafficking network that was used by members of the wealthy and political elite. They have also criticized the latest release of the files, saying they are too heavily redacted, with many important documents omitted.