RELEASED grand jury transcripts and investigation reports revealed that, from the start, law enforcement officers often treated the girls like prostitutes or criminals, rather than victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein. This discouraged other victims from pressing charges and seeking justice.
Finally, after public outrage and successful court actions, a victims’ compensation fund was set up and used to pay over $120 million to 150 survivors.
A close colleague of Epstein was Norway’s former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland. He served 10 years as secretary-general of the Council of Europe, ending his tenure in 2019. He was also the head of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee from 2009 to 2020.
According to the released documents, Jagland and Epstein had a close relationship from 2011 to 2019. Jagland ignored Epstein’s convictions of child sex abuse and human trafficking. Jagland visited the many homes of Epstein, where child sexual abuse was allegedly rampant. He wrote to Epstein about his visits to Albania to see “extraordinary girls” and in 2013 told him in an email: “I can’t keep it going with young women, as you know.”
Although that could imply sexual exhaustion with minors, there is no direct evidence to link Jagland to any alleged sexual misconduct or crimes against them.
His luxury travel was paid for by Epstein, who, in return, reportedly asked Jagland for access to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to pass “insights” to President Vladimir Putin. What those insights could be is open to speculation. Some say, perhaps, compromising sex videos of high-profile Western politicians or businessmen that could be used for blackmail to silence opposition to his war in Ukraine.
Epstein gave Jagland money to buy an apartment in Oslo. As head of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, he selected every candidate nominated to be voted on by the panel. Child protectors were not selected. He was removed as chairman in 2015 after controversial decisions in awarding the said prize.
The Preda Foundation was nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize for defending the rights of sexually abused and trafficked children and defending their rights and was likely denied the prize by Jagland every time. Considering that he was best friends with Epstein and had fully paid visits to the latter’s sex dens, it is not surprising that Jagland would reject such nominations of child rights defenders, no matter how deserving.
Jagland also lied to the committee that he had ever known Epstein, for which he later apologized. Norwegian anti-corruption police raided his homes for evidence and charged him with gross corruption. He could get 10 years in prison. He was also removed from the committee and is now exhausted from his endeavors in Albania and elsewhere.
As he said to Epstein, “I can’t keep it going with young women, as you know.” Now, he lives in disgrace and is awaiting trial.
The story continues unraveling as more high-profile US millionaires, tycoons, European elites, royalty and politicians who were allegedly caught in the Epstein honey traps are still being blackmailed and living in fear that child sex videos recorded in secret might surface one day. How indeed the mighty have fallen./PN
