Possible Nobel Peace Prize leak was "highly likely" espionage, committee secretary says
Source: CBS News/AFP
October 13, 2025 / 11:22 AM EDT
A potential leak that preceded the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was "highly likely" the result of espionage, the Nobel Institute told Norwegian media on Saturday. The odds of Machado winning the prize jumped from 3.75% to nearly 73% overnight, Thursday to Friday on the predictive betting platform Polymarket.
However, no expert or media outlet had mentioned her as being among the favorites for the prize, which was announced just a few hours later in Oslo. "Highly likely it's espionage," the director of the Nobel Institute and secretary of the Nobel committee, Kristian Berg Harpviken, told Norway's TV2 television.
On Friday, the head of the Nobel committee said he didn't believe Machado's name had been leaked. "I don't think there have ever been any leaks in the entire history of the prize. I can't imagine that's the case," committee chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes told the NTB news agency. Harpviken said the institute would nevertheless investigate and "where necessary, we will further tighten security".
Espionage "could make it appear as if someone on the inside deliberately leaked information. That is not likely," he said. "It's too certain to say for sure, but it's no secret that the Nobel Institute is subject to espionage," he added.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nobel-peace-prize-leak-espionage-committee-secretary/
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