Former Norwegian Prime Minister and former chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjørn Jagland, has been hospitalized following a suicide attempt.

The incident comes as a Norwegian police investigation is underway against him on suspicion of “serious corruption,” related to past ties with convicted American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.

At the same time, the Norwegian Nobel Institute has requested formal explanations from Jagland regarding possible financial benefits he is alleged to have received from Epstein during his time serving on the Nobel Committee. The Institute’s director, Kristian Berg Harpviken, publicly stated that any significant financial transactions during the period in question would constitute a violation of the code of ethics.

According to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang, citing documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Jagland allegedly asked Epstein to guarantee the purchase of an apartment, although the outcome of the request is unknown.

The same documents state that Jagland stayed at Epstein’s residence in New York in 2018, as well as at his apartment in Paris in 2015 and 2018. Additionally, the former prime minister and his family reportedly planned a trip to Epstein’s private island in 2014, which ultimately did not take place.

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it will request the Council of Europe to lift the immunity Jagland holds as a former Secretary General of the organization.

The 75-year-old politician served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1996 to 1997, chaired the committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize from 2009 to 2015, and served as Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019.