Norwegian police searched properties belonging to former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland on Thursday as part of a corruption investigation examining his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, authorities said.
Investigators from Okokrim, Norway’s economic crimes unit, removed several boxes from Jagland’s Oslo apartment in an operation that followed the waiver of his diplomatic immunity by the Council of Europe one day earlier. Jagland, 74, is now formally suspected of aggravated corruption, according to Pal Lonseth, chief of the specialized unit.
The inquiry was triggered by documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January showing that Jagland and members of his family may have stayed at Epstein’s residences on multiple occasions between 2011 and 2018, the AFP news agency reported. During that period, Jagland held the positions of chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and secretary-general of the Council of Europe, both prominent international roles.
In the Justice Department files, Epstein referred to Jagland as “the Nobel big shot,” AFP reported.
Norwegian authorities are examining whether benefits Jagland received could constitute passive bribery. In a formal request to the Council of Europe, police detailed repeated instances when Jagland or his family members used Epstein’s apartments in Paris and New York, as well as his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
“For at least one of these private vacations, travel expenses for six adults appear to have been covered by Mr. Epstein,” Okokrim wrote in the request.
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers voted Wednesday to lift Jagland’s diplomatic immunity, clearing the way for the searches. The immunity stemmed from his former role as the council’s top official, a position he held from 2009 to 2019.
Jagland’s lawyer, Anders Brosveet, confirmed the searches took place and described them as standard procedure in such investigations. “Jagland wishes to contribute to ensuring that the case is thoroughly clarified, and the next step is that he will appear for questioning by Okokrim – as he himself has stated he wants,” Brosveet said.
Jagland served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and previously led the Labour Party. His tenure as Nobel Committee chairman lasted from 2009 to 2015, a period during which the committee awarded the peace prize to figures including Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo and the European Union.
Read also: Ex-Norwegian PM Charged With Corruption Over Epstein Ties
The former premier had previously characterized his contact with Epstein as part of routine diplomatic engagement. However, in an interview with the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten earlier this month, Jagland acknowledged he had shown “poor judgement” in his dealings with the financier.
Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had been convicted in 2008 on state prostitution charges in Florida. Following his death, thousands of pages of court documents and other materials related to his activities and associates have been released by U.S. authorities, prompting inquiries in several countries.
The documents released in January formed part of ongoing disclosures stemming from civil litigation and criminal investigations into Epstein’s network of contacts. They have identified numerous public figures who had varying degrees of association with him, though contact alone does not indicate wrongdoing.
Norwegian television footage broadcast Thursday showed investigators in civilian clothes carrying cardboard boxes from the building where Jagland maintains his Oslo residence. The operation appeared methodical and drew little public attention in the Norwegian capital.
Okokrim is Norway’s dedicated unit for investigating white-collar crime, financial misconduct, and corruption involving public officials. Cases handled by the unit typically involve complex financial transactions or abuse of public position.
Under Norwegian law, aggravated corruption involves accepting or soliciting benefits in connection with an official position or duties. If convicted, penalties can include imprisonment and loss of public office. The charge requires prosecutors to demonstrate that benefits were received and linked to official actions or influence.
Jagland has not been charged and Norwegian legal procedure treats formal suspicion as an investigative status that does not imply guilt. Authorities have not disclosed a timeline for the investigation or indicated when Jagland will be questioned.
The inquiry represents a rare corruption probe involving a former head of government in Norway, a country that regularly ranks among the least corrupt in global indices. Norwegian officials have not commented on whether other individuals are under investigation in connection with the case.
Jagland is expected to appear for formal questioning by Okokrim in the coming weeks, according to his lawyer. No trial date has been set.