Norwegian authorities have launched a formal investigation into high-profile diplomat Mona Juul and her husband Terje Rød-Larsen regarding their connections to the deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The probe, initiated by Norway’s economic crime unit Økokrim, centers on potential aggravated corruption and whether Juul received improper benefits connected to her official position.
Juul resigned abruptly as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq on Sunday, following her suspension after Norwegian media revelations. Reports indicate Epstein’s will, signed days before his death, designated $5 million (£3.6 million) to each of Juul’s children. Additionally, recently unsealed court documents show Rød-Larsen, Juul’s husband, attended a dinner with Epstein in Paris in June 2019—mere weeks before Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges in the United States.
The investigation has already involved law enforcement searching a property in Oslo. While Juul’s legal representative states she ‘does not recognise the accusations,’ and Rød-Larsen’s lawyer expresses confidence that the inquiry will establish no criminal liability, Norway’s foreign ministry has condemned the contact as demonstrating a ‘serious lapse in judgement.’
This case represents another chapter in the sprawling Epstein scandal, particularly within Norway’s elite circles. Juul and Rød-Larsen, both celebrated for their roles in negotiating the historic 1993-1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, now join other prominent Norwegians implicated through the released Epstein files. These include Crown Princess Mette-Marit—who publicly apologized for her friendship with Epstein—former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland (currently under separate investigation), and Borge Brende, CEO of the World Economic Forum, who is facing an independent review concerning his interactions with the financier.
The documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice last month comprise millions of emails, images, and FBI reports, continuing to trigger international repercussions and investigations into the associates of Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.