World Economic Forum President and CEO Borge Brende on Thursday announced that he is stepping down, after the forum launched an independent investigation into his past contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His eight-and-a-half years at WEF have been “profoundly rewarding,” Brende, who has been in charge of the organisation since 2017, said.
His resignation came after disclosures made by the US Justice Department, revealed that he went to three business dinners with Epstein and exchanged emails and text messages with him.
The declaration released by the WEF did not mention Epstein. However, speaking to Norwegian media, Brende said he regretted the way that he handled the relationship and did not want the matter to distract from the work of the forum as a whole, including their annual Davos summit.
Brende has previously mentioned that he did not know of Epstein’s criminal background when they first met in 2018. He also admitted that he should have done more due diligence.
An independent review commissioned by the WEF and conducted by outside counsel concluded there were no additional concerns.
Co-chairs Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink confirmed the findings of the review and thanked Brende for his leadership through a time of reforms of the Geneva-based institution.
Text messages leaked between files related to Epstein indicated a friendly relationship between the two men in 2018 and 2019.
Their last account was reported to be about a week before the arrest of Epstein in 2019. Epstein subsequently killed himself by suicide in jail during the period he was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
WEF’s Managing Director Alois Zwinggi will act as the interim president and CEO while the Board of Trustees starts the process of finding a permanent successor.
Brende’s departure comes after WEF founder Klaus Schwab left the organisation last year after separate allegations of misconduct, which did not lead to findings of material wrongdoing.
Also read: Bill Clinton says he Saw “Nothing Wrong” in time with Epstein
