SALVATORE DI NOLFI/EPA
Norwegian Borge Brende, president and CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Børge Brende, former Norwegian Foreign Minister who organizes the annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, announced his resignation following revelations about his ties to the pedophile. But he guarantees: “there is nothing new”.
The president of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Børge Brendewho organizes the annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, announced his resignation this Thursday, following revelations about his ties to the convicted sex offender .
“After careful reflection, I have decided to resign as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum,” said Brende, who is also a former Norwegian Foreign Minister: “This is the right time for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” he added in a statement.
After eight years in office, he concluded that “both the WEF and I would benefit more if I passed on the testimony to someone else,” Brende told the newspaper. According to him, the Epstein case could divert attention from the Forum’s important work. The official stressed, however, that an “external review” did not reveal anything that “was not already known and widely publicized by the media” about his involvement in the case.
Several dinners with Epstein
Brende was Norwegian Foreign Minister between 2013 and 2017 and was president of the WEF since 2017. The name of the Norwegian politician from Epstein’s files was recently released by the US Department of Justice, revealing that, since 2018, he had been in contact with the American, who died in custody in 2019.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) subsequently announced an independent review which, according to the statement now released, has already been completed and whose conclusions show “that there are no concerns other than those already made public”.
Initially, Brende denied have had any contact with the financier. She later admitted to having had dinner with him several times in 2018 and 2019 — a period in which the American had already been convicted of sexual abuse and served a prison sentence.
TV2 reported that Brende sent several text messages to the businessman. To the television station, he stated that he did not remember the content of the messages and declared that he was unaware of the tycoon’s activities and past.
Investigations of several Norwegians
The Norwegian Parliament’s oversight committee recently announced an independent investigation into the involvement of Norway’s foreign policy elite in the Epstein scandal. A commission of inquiry will examine the case and the working methods of the Diplomatic Service in recent years.
Due to his contacts with Epstein, the former Norwegian Prime Minister and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jaglandthe former ambassador to Jordan and Iraq, Mona Juuland her husband, the former diplomat Terje Rød-Larsenare already under investigation by the authorities. The three are investigated on suspicion of serious corruption.
The Crown Princess of Norway, Mette-Maritalso appears prominently in the most recent documents; she is accused of having maintained private contact with the sex offender for years. The 52-year-old submitted a written statement for his friendship with Epstein.
