Norwegian ministers grilled in parliament over Epstein ties

Norway's prime minister denied Wednesday an "unhealthy culture" among the country's diplomats, as current and former ministers addressed a hearing over ties between late US convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and senior Norwegian officials.

The hearings come against the backdrop of the foreign ministry's payment of more than 130 million kroner ($13.5 million at the current exchange rate) to the International Peace Institute (IPI) between 1997 and 2018, a think tank headed by Norway's Terje Rod-Larsen from 2005 to 2020.

"There is no reason to speak of an unhealthy culture at a large organisation just because of what one or several people may have done," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told the Storting's standing committee on scrutiny and constitutional affairs.

"You can't tar everyone with the same brush," said the Labour leader, who was called to address the committee about his years as foreign minister from 2005-2012.

The Epstein files have shed light on ties between the US financier and Rod-Larsen and his diplomat wife Mona Juul, the architects of the 1993 Oslo Accords who are now under investigation in Norway—she for "aggravated corruption" and he for "complicity in aggravated corruption".

The couple denies any wrongdoing.

In total, 11 officials who have held the positions of foreign minister or development aid minister since 2005, will address the committee Wednesday and Thursday.

'Accountability failures'

In addition to Rod-Larsen and Juul, the Epstein documents have highlighted ties between the sex offender, who died in prison in 2019, and Thorbjorn Jagland, a former prime minister, foreign minister, secretary general of the Council of Europe and chair of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.

Epstein also had ties with former foreign minister Borge Brende.

Jagland is also under investigation on suspicion of "aggravated corruption", but is not among the officials summoned by parliament because he was foreign minister prior to 2005 and because parliament wants to avoid interfering with the police investigation.

Brende, who resigned in February as president of the World Economic Forum, was to be heard on Wednesday.

"The Epstein documents raise serious questions about abuse of office, a culture of accountability failures, and poor management of development aid funds," said Jonas Andersen Sayed, a member of the committee.

"The issue concerns public trust in the entire system. It is essential that all the facts are brought to light, that accountability is established, and that the necessary reforms are implemented," he said.

The hearings themselves will not result in any sanctions.

Parliament has also set up an independent inquiry tasked with a much broader examination of the case, which is due to submit its final report by 31 January 2028.