Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been charged with aggravated corruption in connection with an investigation into his alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Norwegian authorities said Friday.
Elden Law Firm confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Jagland is “charged with aggravated corruption,” adding that he “denies all charges.”
Jagland, 75, is accused of receiving improper benefits, including gifts, travel, and other advantages, during his tenure as a senior official, including when he served as chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and later as secretary-general of the Council of Europe.
Police say the charges stem from information in newly released Justice Department documents detailing interactions and connections between Epstein and prominent global figures.
Investigators from Norway’s economic crimes unit, Økokrim, have searched multiple properties linked to Jagland as part of the probe and plan to question him as the case moves forward. The Council of Europe earlier waived Jagland’s diplomatic immunity to allow the investigation to proceed.
Jagland has denied visiting Epstein’s private island and has said he will cooperate with authorities. Formal charges of aggravated corruption represent a significant escalation in the investigation, which has also drawn scrutiny to other Norwegian diplomats and officials mentioned in the Epstein files.
The charges come “as Norway’s royal family battles scandals on multiple fronts, with charities this week moving to cut or review ties to the crown princess due to her past contact with Epstein, who died in 2019,” CNN noted.
Investigators said they were looking into “whether gifts, travel, and loans were received in connection with his position.”
Last week, Jagland’s lawyer told news outlets that the searches carried out at the former prime minister’s “home and leisure properties” are “a normal part of an investigation of this type.”
“As an automatic consequence of the search, Jagland now has formal status as a suspect,” his lawyer Anders Brosveet said in a statement.
“Jagland wants to contribute to the case being thoroughly investigated, and the next step is that he will appear for questioning at Økokrim.”
The newly released Epstein files revealed significant communication between Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Epstein, which the princess now regrets, years after he pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor.
Last week, Norway’s royal house said Mette-Marit “strongly disavows Epstein’s abuse and criminal acts” and is sorry for “not having understood early enough what kind of person he was.”
The controversy has ignited a public discussion in Norway about the possibility of Mette-Marit becoming queen, according to experts. It also brings up uncomfortable questions regarding her status within the royal family, especially considering the advanced age of King Harald V, who, at 88, is Europe’s oldest monarch.
In recent years, Harald’s health has declined, necessitating that his son, Crown Prince Haakon, occasionally serve as regent.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that the Justice Department has released all documents covered by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including a list of more than 300 high-profile names appearing in the materials.
In a letter to lawmakers, Bondi said the department complied with the statute’s requirements by making public “all records, documents, communications and investigative materials” in its possession that relate to nine categories outlined in the law. She said no records were withheld for reasons of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.
The letter addressed to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was obtained by Fox News Digital.
“In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and as described in various Department submissions to the courts of the Southern District of New York assigned to the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions and related orders, the Department released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’ any of nine different categories,” the letter stated, per Fox.