World Economic Forum CEO resigns

Borge Brande has stepped down as CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF) after an investigation into his alleged ties to notorious child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein began.

The US Department of Justice said there was evidence of Brande having at least three business dinners with Epstein and regular contact via email and text messages.

Brande, who has led the organization for the past eight and a half years, announced his resignation in a statement on Thursday (February 26), saying that this was the right time for the organization to continue its work without interruption. Although his official statement did not mention Epstein directly by name, he said that he had made the decision to avoid “unnecessary confusion.”

Following Borg Brande’s resignation, World Economic Forum co-chairs Andre Hoffman and Larry Fink said in a joint statement that an independent investigation into Brande’s ties to Epstein had been completed. The investigation, conducted by external legal consultants, found no new concerns.

The investigation report said there were no additional allegations beyond those already made public. Earlier this month, the WEF's Audit and Risk Committee ordered the investigation to be launched in the interest of maintaining transparency and integrity.

Bjorge Brende has also held senior positions in the Norwegian government in the past. Alois Zwingi has now been appointed as interim president and CEO to fill the vacancy created by his sudden resignation. The organization's board of trustees will now oversee the process of finding a permanent successor.

The issue of Jeffrey Epstein's connections to the world's powerful has long been a topic of debate in global politics and economics, most recently affecting leading global organizations like the WEF.

Source: NDTV.