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 Norwegian media reports that each of her children would receive $5 million in a will allegedly signed by Epstein days before he died.
Emails released in the so-called Epstein files also appear to show that Juul's husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, had dinner with Epstein in Paris in June 2019, weeks before Epstein's arrest in the US on sex trafficking charges.
Juul's lawyer has said she does not recognise the accusations made against her and Rød-Larsen's lawyer expressed confidence that the investigation will clarify that there is no basis for criminal liability. Appearing in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
Norway's foreign ministry has stated that Juul's contact with Epstein revealed a serious lapse in judgement. An aggravated corruption inquiry has been launched by the Norwegian economic crime unit Økokrim, which will investigate whether any benefits were received in connection with her position.
A property in Oslo has been searched in connection with the investigation, which is part of a larger context involving multiple public figures in Norway being drawn into the Epstein scandal. Juul and Rød-Larsen were part of the small group of diplomats that negotiated the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Reports indicate Rød-Larsen had extensive communication with Epstein and arranged to meet him on several occasions. Juul is the latest prominent figure implicated in this widening scandal, joining others including Crown Princess Mette-Marit, former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, and Borge Brende, former Norwegian Foreign Minister.
Emails released in the so-called Epstein files also appear to show that Juul's husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, had dinner with Epstein in Paris in June 2019, weeks before Epstein's arrest in the US on sex trafficking charges.
Juul's lawyer has said she does not recognise the accusations made against her and Rød-Larsen's lawyer expressed confidence that the investigation will clarify that there is no basis for criminal liability. Appearing in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
Norway's foreign ministry has stated that Juul's contact with Epstein revealed a serious lapse in judgement. An aggravated corruption inquiry has been launched by the Norwegian economic crime unit Økokrim, which will investigate whether any benefits were received in connection with her position.
A property in Oslo has been searched in connection with the investigation, which is part of a larger context involving multiple public figures in Norway being drawn into the Epstein scandal. Juul and Rød-Larsen were part of the small group of diplomats that negotiated the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Reports indicate Rød-Larsen had extensive communication with Epstein and arranged to meet him on several occasions. Juul is the latest prominent figure implicated in this widening scandal, joining others including Crown Princess Mette-Marit, former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, and Borge Brende, former Norwegian Foreign Minister.
