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The World Economic Forum is investigating its chief executive, Børge Brende, for his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released more than 3 million documents that have exposed the depth of Epstein’s interactions with some of the country’s and world’s most powerful people. Included in the release were documents indicating that Brende attended at least three “business dinners” with Epstein and sent and received emails and SMS messages with the sex offender.
Brende, who has been president and CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, since 2017, will retain his titles for the time being while the investigation is ongoing and will not be involved in the probe, the organization said.
“This decision underscores the Forum’s commitment to transparency and maintaining its integrity,” the forum said in a statement. It added that Brende “fully supports, and cooperates with, this review, having indeed requested it himself.”
Brende and Epstein communicated over email in 2018 and 2019 about meeting at the convicted sex offender’s New York home for dinner. Brende said he was invited to the first dinner by a Norwegian diplomat and the other two dinners were also attended by other diplomats and business leaders, in a statement circulated by the WEF.
In one set of messages exchanged over the summer of 2019, Epstein sent a photo of what appears to be a woman with blond hair, whose face is blacked out in the document released by the DOJ. Brende wrote, “I was right wasn’t I. Hilarious,” and Epstein wrote back, “Yup. Bad news. Is every time I see mss piggy. I will think of … you.” Brende responded, “I will live with that. Better to be remembered than forgotten.”
In another set of messages in April 2018, Brende wrote, “Missing you Sir. Borge.”
The dinners “and a few emails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions,” Brende said in his statement.
Epstein was arrested by Palm Beach, Fla., authorities for the first time in 2006. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to two charges of prostitution, one involving a victim under the age of 18. In 2019, he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.
“I was completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities,” Brende said in the statement. “Had I known about his background, I would have declined the initial invitation and any subsequent dinner invitations or other communications. … I recognize that I could have conducted a more thorough investigation into Epstein’s history, and I regret not doing so.”
The forum’s investigation comes just two weeks after leaders in business and politics from around the world gathered in Davos for the annual meeting to discuss geopolitics, trade, technology and global cooperation.
Tensions between some countries were high at the forum with President Trump threatening to impose tariffs on Europe to pressure over his bid to acquire Greenland. Trump backed down from those threats after agreeing to what he called a framework deal and committing to talks with Greenland and Denmark, which owns the island.
WEF founder Klaus Schwab resigned as executive chair of the forum abruptly in April after the board started investigating him for alleged misconduct, including mistreating employees. The forum is still looking for a permanent chair to replace Schwab.
English (US) ·