RT.com
07 Feb 2026, 00:34 GMT+10
The World Economic Forum has launched an investigation into its CEO Borge Brende over links to the late pedophile financier
The World Economic Forum's reputation has been "tainted" by revelations that its CEO Borge Brende reportedly had dinners with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said.
Several documents among millions released by the US Justice Department last week, including Epstein's personal emails, mention Brende attending dinners with Epstein and communicating with him by email and text. In a statement on Thursday, the WEF said it had launched an investigation into the revelations.
According to Dmitriev, who also heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund, the disclosures and the ensuing probe undermine the credibility of the WEF and its flagship Davos forum in Switzerland.
"Davos's reputation is so tainted," Dmitriev wrote in a post on X on Friday, pitching Russia's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as a better alternative. "All good people from the WEF should move to the [SPIEF] instead. The WEF can stay focused on discussing Epstein's legacy and the lessons learned from his network-building."
The WEF said Brende, who has served as CEO since 2017 and was previously Norwegian foreign minister, fully supports the investigation and requested it himself. Brende, in turn, claimed he met Epstein only in 2018 - a year before the disgraced financier's death in a New York prison - and that three dinners and "a few emails and SMS messages," allegedly strictly professional, constituted the full extent of their contact.
"I was completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities," Brende insisted, as cited by Reuters, even though it's widely known Epstein was convicted as a sex offender in 2008, years before the two met.
The Epstein files mention numerous high-profile Western figures, linking some to either Epstein's sex trafficking network or questionable financial dealings. None have been charged so far, but the disclosures have prompted resignations, probes, and reviews worldwide, with all those named denying wrongdoing.
READ MORE: Starmer toast BBC source
Commenting on the files, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the West of covering up Epstein's crimes, arguing the case exposes the hypocrisy of a justice system that shields elites.
"Nothing in the West is investigated - just like the Epstein case - when it implicates 'global elites,'" she wrote in a Telegram post on Friday. "Ironically, their crimes are now captured in photos and videos - and yet, they claim 'it's not all that clear.'"
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Denmark Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Denmark Sun.
More InformationLONDON, U.K: Across Europe, governments are quietly rewriting the digital foundations of their public sectors, replacing familiar American...
OSLO, Norway: In a week of embarrassments to the royal family, the eldest son of Norway's crown princess was arrested over new allegations...
WASHINGTON, D.C./New Delhi: President Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to lower tariffs on goods from India to 18 percent, from...
MADRID, Spain: Spain is preparing one of Europe's most brutal crackdowns on children's use of social media, signalling a broader shift...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The government cannot wave a magic wand and deliver flood relief schemes out of thin air, Taoiseach Micheál Martin...
ROME, Italy: Record-high gold prices are reshaping how jewelry is made in Italy, pushing artisans and manufacturers to redesign everything...
OSLO, Norway: In a week of embarrassments to the royal family, the eldest son of Norway's crown princess was arrested over new allegations...
The World Economic Forum has launched an investigation into its CEO Borge Brende over links to the late pedophile financier The World...
The unconquered character of Greenland isn't just a slogan, it resonates as a lived reality among its people, who overwhelmingly reject...
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's early conservation vision for Chhari-Dhandh, a unique...
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's early conservation vision for Chhari-Dhandh, a unique...
(Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images) CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy -- The weather kept Lindsey Vonn waiting, but the injured U.S. ski...
