The president of an international think tank, which received donations from convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has quit after the bombshell revelations came to light following a probe by Norwegian journalists.
Terje Rød Larsen apologised to the board of the International Peace Institute after securing donations from foundations related to Epstein and for having borrowed money from him in 2013, Norway’s Dagens Naeringsliv (DN) and Nettavisen reported this morning.
The board, which is led by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, claims it was not aware of either.
Earlier this week Mr Rudd revealed he was “blindsided” and “deeply disturbed” to learn Epstein donated $650,000 to the international think tank that he has been a member of for six years.
He claimed he had “no recollection whatsoever” of ever meeting Epstein who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell last year.
In a statement the former PM said he “first learned of contributions from Epstein’s foundations to the IPI in November 2019 through reporting by the Norwegian press.”
“I was blindsided by this,” he said.
In October last year the board, including Mr Rudd, learned there was a personal loan agreement between Epstein and Terje Rod-Larsen “that existed in 2013”, he said in his statement.
Mr Rudd conceded he had been on a teleconference call, also attended by Epstein in 2014, and went to an event in New York while an MP in 2013.
Epstein was also invited but Mr Rudd said he has “no recollection whatsoever” of ever meeting him.
“Any significant engagement with someone as odious as Epstein must be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. I have no recollection whatsoever of ever meeting Epstein,” Mr Rudd said in a statement.
Mr Rudd joined the IPI board in 2014 and has been chairman since 2018.
The donations were reportedly received between October 2011 and May 2019, during which time Epstein had been convicted and was behind bars.
“These revelations were deeply disturbing to me and to other members of the Board,” Mr Rudd said.
The former Prime Minister claims the IPI did not keep the donations once their source was identified.
More to come
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2020-10-29 22:10:33Z
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