Epstein ties force Norway diplomat to step down

A senior Norwegian diplomat has resigned following an investigation into her connections with late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, Daily Mail reports.

Mona Juul, Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq and a key figure in the secret negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s, was temporarily suspended on February 9 pending the review.

Norwegian media reports that Epstein bequeathed approximately £7.4 million to Juul’s two children with her husband, fellow diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen.

“This is a correct and necessary decision. Juul’s contact with the convicted abuser Epstein has shown a serious lapse in judgment,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said. “It is important to understand the scope of the contact she, as an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has had with Epstein.” He added that the embassy in Jordan would be led by the deputy ambassador until a new envoy is appointed.

Juul’s lawyer, Thomas Skjelbred, said she resigned because “the situation she now finds herself in makes it impossible for her to discharge her duties in a responsible manner.” He added that the process had “been an enormous personal strain on her and her immediate family” and that Juul would continue cooperating with the Foreign Ministry.

The scandal has also implicated Norway’s political and royal circles. Børge Brende, CEO of the World Economic Forum, is under investigation after three business dinners and electronic communications with Epstein. Former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland faces scrutiny over alleged “aggravated corruption,” with his lawyer stating, “Based on what we have found so far, we are confident of the outcome.” Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also come under attention for her ties to Epstein, which she said she “deeply regretted.”

Epstein’s death ended a high-profile federal criminal case but left investigations into potential co-conspirators ongoing. Reports revealed that guards failed to perform required checks, and surveillance cameras outside his cell malfunctioned, leaving critical gaps in visual monitoring. DOJ files noted footage of an unidentified figure moving near Epstein’s housing unit overnight, though no direct connection to his death was publicly established.

By Vafa Guliyeva