Norway parliament opens probe into 11 senior officials over Epstein-linked files and grants

Norway's parliament has opened an investigation into 11 current and former senior officials over alleged ties and state grants linked to Jeffrey Epstein-related files. The hearing began on Wednesday and includes Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who has denied any wrongdoing. The case has drawn attention because it involves both senior political figures and public funding decisions.

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The inquiry centres on reports that the Foreign Ministry allocated more than 130 million kroner, or about $13.5 million, to the International Peace Institute between 1997 and 2018. The institute was led from 2005 to 2020 by Terje Rod-Larsen, a prominent Norwegian diplomat and one of the chief architects of the 1993 Oslo Accords. According to the supplied material, Rod-Larsen was implicated in the files and in Norwegian media reporting that described alleged links involving illicit loans and visa fraud for sex-trafficked women.

Stoere told the committee that he had never had any relationship with Epstein and said the problems were isolated lapses rather than something systemic within the Foreign Ministry. He also said that, to his knowledge, Epstein had no influence over Norway's foreign policy, development aid or other government decisions. The hearing was chaired by Jonas Andersen Sayed, who said the government must explain what it is doing to restore trust in the foreign service.

The investigation comes after the release in January of millions of Epstein-related documents by the US Department of Justice, which reportedly revealed connections to politicians, royals and wealthy figures around the world. In Norway, the fallout has already triggered parliamentary inquiries and police investigations, reflecting the sensitivity of the issue in a country that hosts the Nobel Peace Prize and often plays a role in international diplomacy. The case now raises questions about oversight, public grants and the reputational risk for institutions linked to foreign policy and peace work.

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Rod-Larsen's role gives the inquiry added historical weight because of his long involvement in Middle East peace efforts and his later leadership of the International Peace Institute. The supplied material also says Epstein left millions of dollars to Rod-Larsen's children in his will, adding another layer to the scrutiny around personal and institutional ties. Erik Solheim, a former development minister, is also expected to testify, indicating that the inquiry may widen beyond the current prime minister and the Foreign Ministry's grant decisions.

What remains unclear is how far the parliamentary investigation will go and whether it will lead to further political or legal consequences. The committee is expected to continue hearing testimony from current and former officials, and the government is under pressure to account for how trust in the foreign service can be restored. The key issue now is whether the inquiry finds evidence of misconduct, poor judgement or broader failures in oversight.

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