Former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland was hospitalized following a suicide attempt after being accused of corruption in connection with his close relationship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The press at the Norwegian Editors’ Association and selected Norwegian editors had reached an agreement with Jagland’s lawyer on February 17 not to cover the incident, a local report mentioned. Sources suggest that Jagland’s condition is currently serious.

Reports also indicated that when Jagland was accused, police carried out an extensive search of his properties, including his apartment in Oslo and in Risør.

According to a BBC report, the charge against Jagland was brought after the Council of Europe lifted his immunity. Jagland’s lawyers have stated that he denies criminal responsibility and is willing to cooperate with the investigation.

Emails accessed by the U.S. administration reportedly showed that Jagland had planned individual and family visits to Epstein’s homes in Paris, New York, and Palm Beach.

During his term as Prime Minister from 1996 to 1997, Thorbjørn Jagland also served as head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. He had also served as Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the continent’s overseer for democracy and human rights. Jagland had diplomatic immunity while serving as President of the Council during his mandate from 2009 to 2019.

Økokrim, Norway’s national authority for investigation and prosecution of economic and environmental crime, had asked the Council to revoke his immunity shortly after launching an investigation into corruption allegations against him between 2011 and 2018.

The Epstein files show several instances in which the late financier covered travel expenses for Jagland and his family. It also emerged that Jagland had planned a family trip to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean in 2014; however, it was ultimately canceled.

Allegations have also surfaced that Jagland sought Epstein’s assistance in obtaining a bank loan. However, the outcome of this remains unclear. While he was mentioned in Epstein’s files, this does not indicate any wrongdoing.

Norway has seen several public figures implicated in the Epstein scandal after the U.S. Department of Justice released the files. These include Crown Princess Mette-Marit, diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen, and the Executive Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Børge Brende.