Police in Norway have opened an investigation into a high-profile diplomat and her husband over their links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mona Juul resigned as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq on Sunday, days after she was suspended following reports that each of her children would receive $5 million in a will allegedly signed by Epstein shortly before his death.
Emails released in the Epstein files revealed that Juul's husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, had dinner with Epstein in Paris just weeks before Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges in 2019.
Representatives for both Juul and Rød-Larsen have stated that they do not recognize the accusations and are confident that the investigation will clear them of any criminal liability.
Norway's foreign ministry indicated that Juul’s contact with Epstein represented a serious lapse in judgment, while an aggravated corruption inquiry was announced by Økokrim, the economic crime unit. They are examining if Juul received any benefits linked to her diplomatic role.
Additionally, a property in Oslo has been searched as part of the ongoing investigation.
Juul and Rød-Larsen played roles in negotiating the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, an important step in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
More figures from Norway are being scrutinized for their connections to Epstein, including Crown Princess Mette-Marit and former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, with varying degrees of involvement acknowledged.
Mette-Marit has publicly apologized for her past friendship with Epstein, while Jagland stated he would cooperate fully with police inquiries. Former Foreign Minister Borge Brende is also under review by the World Economic Forum for his interactions with Epstein.
The wider Epstein documentation contains millions of private emails, images, and reports released by the US Department of Justice, adding further depth to the ongoing investigation.
