Norwegian diplomat resigns amid expanding scandal linked to Epstein connections
Norway’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday that prominent ambassador Mona Juul would resign following a “serious failure of judgement” regarding her connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, amid an escalating scandal in the Nordic country and throughout Europe.
This week, the ministry suspended Juul from her role as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq while an internal inquiry investigates connections to Epstein revealed in a large collection of files released by the United States government.
Juul’s association with convicted sex offender Epstein reveals a significant lapse in judgment. “The situation complicates the restoration of the trust essential for the role,” stated Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
Juul, 66, a former junior government minister, has previously served as Norway’s ambassador to Israel, Britain, and the United Nations.
Significant contributor to the Israel-Palestinian Oslo Accords
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday, stating that he accepted responsibility for recommending Starmer appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S., despite Mandelson’s known connections to Epstein.
A lawyer for Juul stated that she had chosen to resign, as the present circumstances rendered it unfeasible for her to perform her duties.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue “Mona Juul will maintain her full cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that all pertinent facts in the matter are revealed,” her lawyer Thomas Skjelbred stated.
The foreign ministry announced that it has begun a review of its previous grants to the International Peace Institute (IPI), a think tank based in New York that was led by Juul’s husband, Terje Roed-Larsen, until 2020.
Roed-Larsen, 78, who had a brief tenure as a cabinet minister in 1996 under then-Prime Minister Thorbjoern Jagland, has repeatedly expressed remorse regarding his association with Epstein. “The National Audit Office conducted an investigation into this matter several years ago, but Terje Roed-Larsen certainly has no objections to a re-examination,” his lawyer John Christian Elden stated.
IPI has not yet provided a response to the request for comment.
Juul and Roed-Larsen gained recognition as members of a select group of diplomats involved in the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, which were regarded as a significant advancement in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, despite the continued challenges to achieving peace.
Several other notable Norwegians were also connected to Epstein, including Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who on Friday issued another apology in a statement from the palace, particularly to the king and queen.
