Norway opens parliamentary hearings into political and diplomatic ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Parliamentary hearings begin in Oslo

The Norwegian parliament's Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs commenced public hearings on 30 September 2026 to investigate connections between Norwegian officials, diplomats, and late US financier Jeffrey Epstein. The inquiry follows the release of millions of Epstein-related documents by the US Department of Justice in January. Committee leader Jonas Andersen Sayed stated that the government must account for its actions and restore public trust in the country's foreign service. Lawmakers summoned 11 current and former foreign ministers and development ministers who held office from 2005 onwards, including Conservative Party leader Ine Eriksen Soereide.

There are many people who have demonstrated very poor judgement.

Prime minister defends foreign service integrity

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere testified before the committee regarding his mandate as Foreign Minister between 2005 and 2012. Stoere rejected allegations of a systemic pathology across Norwegian diplomacy, maintaining that the misconduct of individual figures should not taint the entire institution. During his ministerial tenure, the foreign ministry allocated approximately 5.21 billion NOK to external organizations for projects dedicated to peace, reconciliation, and democracy. Stoere stated that Epstein exercised no influence over Norwegian foreign policy, development assistance, or ministerial decision-making. He added that conflict-of-interest regulations had since been revised to guard against potential future breaches.

There is no reason to speak of a sick culture in a large organization based on what one or a few people may have done.

Scrutiny of funding to International Peace Institute

The parliamentary committee examined financial transfers to the New York-based International Peace Institute (IPI), which received more than 130 million NOK from the foreign ministry between 1997 and 2018. More than 68.3 million NOK of that sum was disbursed between 2005 and 2012, when former Norwegian diplomat Terje Roed-Larsen directed the think tank. An investigation by the Office of the Auditor General covering the 2007–2012 period found that the ministry failed to monitor how IPI spent the funds, omitted required performance reporting, and neglected conflict-of-interest assessments, labelling the lapses seriously reprehensible. Roed-Larsen stepped down from IPI in 2020 following revelations that he had accepted a personal loan from Epstein and secured funding from Epstein-linked foundations.

Diplomatic fallout and parallel criminal inquiries

Former foreign minister Boerge Brende also testified on Wednesday, having resigned in February from his post as president and chief executive of the World Economic Forum after his ties to Epstein surfaced. Brende told the committee that his contact began only after he left government and was limited to three dinners, email exchanges, and text messages. Former development minister Erik Solheim told the committee that the inquiry was an overreaction that could prompt diplomats to exercise unnecessary self-restraint and harm national interests. Meanwhile, Norwegian police are conducting corruption investigations into Roed-Larsen, his wife and fellow Oslo Accords negotiator Mona Juul, and former prime minister Thorbjoern Jagland, all of whom deny criminal wrongdoing.