World Economic Forum CEO Borge Brende steps down following Jeffrey Epstein ties controversy

The CEO Of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, has announced his resignation on Thursday in the midst of controversy tied to connection with Jeffrey Epstein.

The decision to resign from the position of President comes a few weeks after the forum launched an independent probe into Brende’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender.

Brende announced his decision in a statement following the disclosure of Epstein-related documents released by the US Department of Justice in late January.

However, Brende’s resignation does not mention Epstein.

The documents revealed the alleged ties of Norwegian with Epstein as he attended three business dinners with the financier and exchanged emails and texts with him.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8-1/2 years, has been profoundly rewarding," Brende said.

In the resignation letter, the former Norwegian foreign minister also paid gratitude to the forum's colleagues and partners for their collaboration.

Previously, Brende made a claim that he did not have any knowledge of Epstein’s past and criminal activities before meeting him for the very first time in 2018. He also expressed remorse for not investigating Jeffrey Epstein properly.

Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the Geneva-based WEF also said that an independent investigation into Brende’s links with Epstein has been completed and no additional information related to connections has come up to surface.

Brende became the president of WEF in 2017. Now, after resignation , WEF's Alois Zwinggi will serve as interim president and CEO.