The World Economic Forum, organizer of the annual Davos conference, has announced an independent investigation into the nature of CEO Borge Brende’s relationship with the late US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of serious sex crimes.
The announcement was made in a public statement issued by the forum, in which it confirmed that the board had asked the audit and risk committee to investigate the matter after new information was revealed in the last batch of documents recently declassified by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The statement said the purpose of the investigation was to “explore recent revelations regarding President and CEO Borge Brende’s participation in three business dinners with Jeffrey Epstein and their subsequent email and SMS message communications.”
The Forum confirmed that Mr. Brindi “fully supports and co-operates with the investigation and was the person who requested that this independent investigation be carried out,” and stressed that “this decision reflects the Forum’s commitment to transparency and integrity.”
Borgi Brende, 52, is a prominent Norwegian politician who served as Norway’s Minister of Finance and then Minister of Foreign Affairs (2013-2017), and since 2017 has been Chairman and CEO of the World Economic Forum, the organizer of the famous annual Davos conference.
His name appeared in the latest documents in connection with three business dinners he attended with Mr. Epstein in 2018 and 2019, in addition to limited email and text message exchanges.
In a separate statement, Brende said he first met Epstein in New York in 2018 at the invitation of former Norwegian politician Terje Ruud Larsen, and that the three meals, one in 2018 and two in 2019, were group events attended by diplomats and other businessmen, and that subsequent communication was limited to “a small number of emails and text messages.”
Brindi added that he had “no knowledge of Mr. Epstein’s criminal history or illegal activities,” adding, “If I had known, I would have declined any advances or contacts.”
The announcement comes at a sensitive time for the World Economic Forum, just weeks after the annual Davos meeting in January 2026, amid mounting media and political pressure over the names of public figures featured in Epstein’s latest dossier.
The World Economic Forum, organizer of the annual Davos conference, has announced that it will conduct an independent investigation into the nature of CEO Borge Brende’s relationship with the late US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of serious sex crimes.
The announcement was made in a public statement issued by the Forum, in which it confirmed that the Board has asked the Audit and Risk Committee to investigate the matter following the disclosure of new information in the latest set of documents recently declassified by the US Department of Justice.
The statement said the investigation aimed to “uncover recent revelations regarding President and CEO Borge Brende’s participation in three business dinners with Jeffrey Epstein and subsequent email and text message communications.”
The Forum confirmed that Mr. Brende “fully supports and co-operates with the investigation and that he himself requested this independent review” and stressed that “this decision reflects the Forum’s commitment to transparency and integrity.”
Borge Brende, 52, is a prominent Norwegian politician who served as Norway’s Minister of Finance and then Minister of Foreign Affairs (2013-2017), and since 2017 has been Chairman and CEO of the World Economic Forum, which organizes the famous annual Davos conference.
His name appeared in recent documents related to three business dinner meetings he attended with Mr. Epstein in 2018 and 2019, in addition to limited email and text message exchanges.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Brende said he first met Epstein in New York in 2018 at the invitation of former Norwegian politician Terje Rod Larsen, that the three meals he had with him, once in 2018 and twice in 2019, were group meals that included other diplomats and businessmen, and that subsequent communication was limited to “a few emails and text messages.”
Brende added that he had “no knowledge of Mr. Epstein’s criminal history or illegal activities,” asserting, “If I had known, I would have declined any advances or contacts.”
The announcement comes at a sensitive time for the World Economic Forum, just weeks before the annual Davos meeting in January 2026, amid mounting media and political pressure over the names of public figures featured in Epstein’s recent dossier.
