The president of World Economic Forum (WEF) Borge Brendewhich organizes every year the summit of Davos, announced his resignation on Thursday following revelations about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“After careful reflection, I have decided to step down as president and CEO of the World Economic Forum,” the former Norwegian foreign minister said in a statement.
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“Now is the right time for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” he added.
Earlier this month the WEF announced an investigation into Brende’s relationship with Epstein, after his name appeared dozens of times in millions of documents released by the US Department of Justice.
The WEF said on Thursday that the investigation into Brende had concluded. “The results indicated that there were no additional concerns beyond what had previously been revealed“says the report.
Appearing in Epstein’s files does not necessarily imply having committed a crime.
Before his resignation, Brende explained that during a visit to New York in 2018 he received an invitation from former Norwegian Deputy Prime Minister Terje Rod-Larsen to accompany him to a dinner with other leaders, where he met Epstein.
“The following year, I attended two similar dinners with Epstein, along with other diplomats and business leaders. These dinners, and some emails and SMS messages, were the full extent of my interactions with him,” he explained, ensuring that he was “completely unaware of the financier’s past and criminal activities.”
The organization expressed its “sincere gratitude” to Brende and said it “respects” his decision to resign.
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WEF Managing Director Alois Zwinggi will serve as interim president and CEO while the board begins the process to find a successor.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a prostitute and inducing a minor to engage in prostitution. In 2019 he was found dead in prison, while awaiting trial for sexual exploitation of women, including minors.
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