Washington DC, Feb. 26 -- Borge Brende, the chief executive of the World Economic Forum, announced about his resignation on Thursday, after an independent investigation by the group into his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, New York Times reported.

His resignation came less than a month after the release of the latest batch of files related to Epstein revealed that Brende, a former foreign minister of Norway, had allegedly stayed in contact with Epstein long after he had been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

"We respect his decision to step down," the forum said in its statement, expressing its appreciation to Brende for his "instrumental" leadership over a "pivotal period of reforms."

As per New Yor...