Norway's parliament has opened formal hearings into links between the country's diplomats and politicians and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawmakers summoned eleven serving ministers to testify, including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere. The hearings will examine contacts officials had with Epstein and whether those ties shaped decisions.

The inquiry has already claimed a high-profile scalp. Borge Brende resigned from his post at the World Economic Forum after his own past links to Epstein came under scrutiny.

Epstein's connections to European elites have drawn fresh attention this year. Norway's probe follows months of pressure from opposition lawmakers who demanded a full accounting.

The hearings are expected to run for several weeks. Witnesses will testify under oath, and the parliamentary committee plans to publish its findings once sessions conclude.

Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His address books and flight logs have fuelled investigations in several countries. Norwegian newspapers have published meeting records linking officials to Epstein in recent weeks.

Sources: reuters.com, anewz.tv, lapost.com.