Yet another powerful person has stepped down after being named in the Epstein files.

Børge Brende, president and CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF), best known for hosting an annual summit of world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, has stepped down after an internal investigation into his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement released Thursday, Brende announced that after eight years in his role, he’d be resigning in the wake of the latest batch of files released from the federal investigation into Epstein. 

“I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” Brende said.

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WEF co-chairs André Hoffmann and Larry Fink also released a statement on behalf of the Board of Trustees, thanking Brende for his years of service and respecting his choice to step down.

“His dedication and leadership have been instrumental during a pivotal period of reforms for the organization, leading to a successful annual meeting in Davos,” they said. They also noted that the WEF’s investigation into Brende found “no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.”

Though Brende had previously claimed he “was completely unaware of [Epstein’s] criminal acts and past” in statements to the Norwegian media, the newly released collection of Epstein files tell a different story. Epstein and Brende stayed in contact long after Epstein was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008, with messages between the two continuing through at least mid-2019, just months before Epstein died in jail.

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