Borge Brende has stated he was unaware of Epstein’s previous and legal actions earlier than first assembly him in 2018, and that he regretted not having investigated him extra totally. File
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters
The president and CEO of the World Financial Discussion board, Borge Brende, stated he was stepping down on Thursday (February 26, 2026), a number of weeks after the discussion board launched an impartial investigation into his relationship with convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Brende, who turned president of the WEF in 2017, introduced his choice in a press release following disclosures from the U.S. Justice Division that confirmed the Norwegian had three enterprise dinners with Epstein and had additionally communicated with the disgraced financier by way of e-mail and textual content message.
“After cautious consideration, I’ve determined to step down as President and CEO of the World Financial Discussion board. My time right here, spanning 8-1/2 years, has been profoundly rewarding,” Mr. Brende stated. The assertion made no point out of Epstein.
“I’m grateful for the unimaginable collaboration with my colleagues, companions, and constituents, and I consider now’s the appropriate second for the Discussion board to proceed its necessary work with out distractions,” added Mr. Brende, a former Norwegian International Minister.
Mr. Brende has stated he was unaware of Epstein’s previous and legal actions earlier than first assembly him in 2018, and that he regretted not having investigated him extra totally.
Mr. Brende’s choice to give up follows a collection of revelations referring to Epstein, who in 2008 was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The revelations have roiled enterprise and political elites, and even the British royal household.
Brende’s ties with Epstein
In a separate assertion, Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the Geneva-based discussion board that organises the annual Davos summit, stated the impartial evaluate carried out by outdoors counsel into Mr. Brende’s ties with Epstein had concluded.
The findings acknowledged there have been no further issues past what has been beforehand disclosed, it added.
The co-chairs stated the WEF’s Alois Zwinggi will function interim president and CEO, and that the discussion board’s Board of Trustees will oversee the management transition, together with a plan to drive a course of to determine a everlasting successor.
The U.S. Justice Division has launched greater than 3 million pages of paperwork referring to Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 whereas awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking fees.
His ties to a protracted record of enterprise and political leaders, together with U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Invoice Clinton and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are underneath shut scrutiny.
Abroad, the revelations have prompted legal investigations of Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the previous Duke of York, and different outstanding figures.
Printed – February 26, 2026 05:59 pm IST