Sweden’s Epstein inquiry will not go ahead for now after the parliamentary justice committee rejected a proposal for an independent review of Jeffrey Epstein’s links to Sweden, even as the government left open the possibility of a future investigation if new information emerges.
The proposal had been submitted by the Centre Party after recent reporting by Sveriges Radio’s P4 Stockholm and after Norway moved to establish its own external commission on Epstein-related links. In Sweden, the debate has focused on reported contacts between Epstein and senior figures connected to diplomacy, business and elite institutions.
Why Sweden’s Epstein inquiry was rejected in parliament
The proposal was voted down in the Justice Committee (Justitieutskottet) by the parties behind the Tidö Agreement, the governing bloc made up of the Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals and the Sweden Democrats. According to Sveriges Radio and other Swedish media, the committee majority argued that an external inquiry could complicate other ongoing criminal investigations.
That position marks a narrower line than the one signalled in March by Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, who had said the government did not rule out an external review after new reporting about Swedish contacts with Epstein. The latest decision does not fully close that door, but it makes clear that the government and its parliamentary allies are not prepared to launch a broad independent inquiry at this stage.
The Swedish links in the Epstein files behind the debate
The push for a Sweden Epstein inquiry followed a series of revelations about Swedish connections in the broader Epstein material. Swedish media have reported that top diplomat Lisa Svensson had contact with Epstein over several years, including reported deliveries of packages to her workplaces and access to apartments linked to him in Paris and New York. Svensson has previously described the relationship as limited and superficial.
The debate has also touched on alleged links involving businesswoman Barbro Ehnbom, reported donations connected to the Stockholm School of Economics, and testimony by Epstein’s former Swedish girlfriend in favour of Ghislaine Maxwell in a USA court case. Together, those elements have fuelled demands from opposition parties for a more systematic review of whether Swedish institutions or public figures had deeper connections to Epstein than previously known.
Why Norway’s Epstein commission raised pressure on Sweden
Pressure on Stockholm increased after Norway’s parliament agreed earlier this year to set up a rare external commission to examine links between Epstein and people connected to the Norwegian foreign ministry and political elite. That decision followed fresh disclosures in U.S. files and a widening political scandal in Norway.
For Swedish opposition parties, the Norwegian case became a direct argument for transparency. The Centre Party said Sweden should not assume it was unaffected if another Nordic country had already judged the issue serious enough to warrant an independent investigation. The majority in the Swedish committee, however, chose to prioritise the risk of interference with ongoing legal processes.
What the government’s no means for Swedish accountability
For now, the result is a political no rather than a definitive institutional closure. The government’s position leaves room for a future review if new evidence emerges, but no timetable or model has been presented.
That means the issue is likely to remain in the political debate, especially if more reporting appears about Swedish diplomatic, academic or business links to Epstein. More broadly, the decision highlights a difference in how Nordic governments are responding to the same international scandal: Norway has opted for an external commission, while Sweden has chosen to wait.
