Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland was hospitalized last week after an apparent suicide attempt, days after he was charged with gross corruption linked to his ties with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a media report said Tuesday.
The news was first broken by iNyheter, which cited a "rock-solid source” confirming that Jagland’s condition remains serious.
The specific medical facility treating the 75-year-old statesman has not been disclosed.
The former Nobel Peace Prize Chairman is in critical condition after facing "gross corruption” charges linked to the Epstein case, according to iNyheter.
Jagland is one of Norway’s most prominent political figures, having served as prime minister and as Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
He was also a long-standing member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, serving as its influential chairman from 2009 to 2015 before leaving in 2020.
The disclosure about Jagland’s hospitalization has triggered a debate about media transparency in Norway. iNyheter reported that Norwegian media, via the Norwegian Editors' Association and selected editors, reached an understanding Feb. 17 with Jagland’s lawyer, Anders Brosveet,"that the incident would not be covered.”
While the publication acknowledged the sensitive nature of the hospitalization, it argued that Jagland’s status as a public figure and the gravity of the criminal charges justified the disclosure.
Norwegian police raided several of Jagland’s homes this month on allegations of links to Epstein and aggravated corruption, according to the NRK broadcaster.
The suspicion of gross corruption follows the latest release of Epstein files by the U.S. Justice Department, which revealed years of contact between Jagland and the disgraced financier, with the former prime minister reportedly having been offered trips and luxury stays, according to NRK.
