Overview
- The Norwegian Parliament held public hearings on Sept. 30–Oct. 1 that summoned eleven current and former ministers, including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, to answer about ties to Jeffrey Epstein and related state payments.
- Members of the hearings pressed ministers to explain increased government funding to the International Peace Institute, donations linked to Epstein, and whether the Foreign Ministry tolerated a culture that allowed conflicts of interest.
- Queen Mette-Marit’s name appears repeatedly in the released files but Norway’s constitution places royal matters under the monarch’s internal responsibility, so she cannot be forced to appear before the Storting.
- Police inquiries into individuals named in the files, notably Terje Rød-Larsen and others, remain active with corruption investigations separate from the parliamentary process.
- A formal parliamentary investigation commission has been launched with a final report due in January 2028 and public reaction has been intensified by a provocative wax-figure art installation that keeps the revelations in the public eye.