Norway’s ambassador to Jordan, Mona Juul, has resigned after being suspended and placed under investigation over her past contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Juul’s resignation was “correct and necessary,” describing her dealings with Epstein as a serious lapse in judgment that made it difficult to restore the trust required for the post. The ministry said its internal review into Juul’s knowledge of, and contact with, Epstein will continue.
Mona Juul resignation follows reports of Epstein bequest
Juul’s departure comes days after she was suspended as ambassador to Jordan, a posting in which she was also accredited to Iraq. The suspension followed media reports that Epstein left Juul’s children and the children of her husband, diplomat and peace mediator Terje Rød-Larsen, $10 million in a will drawn up shortly before Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019.
The Foreign Ministry said it had taken note of information circulating online about the couple’s links to Epstein and was continuing discussions with Juul as part of efforts to clarify the matter.
Økokrim opens corruption investigation into Juul and Rød-Larsen
Norway’s National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, Økokrim, said it has opened a criminal investigation into Juul and Rød-Larsen.
Økokrim said Juul is suspected of gross corruption connected to her position in the Foreign Ministry, while Rød-Larsen is suspected of aiding and abetting gross corruption. Investigators said they will examine, among other issues, whether Juul received benefits linked to her official role. Økokrim said it has carried out searches in Oslo, including an apartment in the Frogner district and the home of a witness.
Ministry review expands to think tank ties
Eide said the ministry is also reviewing its funding and contacts with the International Peace Institute, a New York-based think tank that was previously led by Rød-Larsen. He said Rød-Larsen also demonstrated poor judgment in relation to Epstein.
Juul said in a statement to Norwegian news agency NTB last week that it had been imprecise to describe her contact with Epstein as minimal. She said her contact arose through her husband’s relationship with Epstein and that she had no independent social or professional relationship with him. Juul described the contact as sporadic and private, not connected to her official duties, while acknowledging she should have exercised greater caution.
Wider fallout from renewed Epstein scrutiny
Juul and Rød-Larsen were key figures associated with Norway’s role in facilitating the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, which aimed to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
The case has emerged amid broader scrutiny in Norway following renewed attention to Epstein-related documents. Crown Princess Mette-Marit issued a public apology on Friday over her past contacts with Epstein, while Økokrim has also opened a separate corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland in connection with his ties to Epstein, according to Norwegian authorities.
Norway’s Foreign Ministry said it will continue its internal review alongside the Økokrim investigation as it seeks to establish the full scope of Juul’s contact with Epstein and whether any rules were broken.