Norway suspends celebrated diplomat in Epstein probe
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Epstein in his will left US$10 million (S$12.7 million) to Ms Mona Juul’s two children with her husband, Mr Terje Rod-Larsen.
PHOTO: AFP
OSLO – Norway temporarily suspended on Feb 2 a high-profile diplomat known for her involvement in a landmark attempt to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict pending an investigation into her alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Ms Mona Juul, who played a key role in the secret Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which led to the Oslo accords of the early 1990s, is among several Norwegian celebrities swept up in the scandal since the United States released the latest cache of files
Besides Ms Juul, currently in post as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland have also been caught up in the storm surrounding the disgraced financier.
According to Norwegian media, Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial for sex crimes against minors, in his will left US$10 million (S$12.7 million) to Ms Juul’s two children with her husband, fellow diplomat and Oslo talks broker Terje Rod-Larsen.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently working to shed light on the case concerning... Ambassador Mona Juul’s contacts with Jeffrey Epstein,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
“We have decided today to relieve Ambassador Juul of her duties for the duration of this investigation,” he added in a message to AFP.
Though inclusion in the files does not imply wrongdoing, Ms Juul is not alone in having her alleged ties with Epstein scrutinised.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is in line to be Norway’s future queen, is likewise under pressure to explain
Mr Jagland, Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997, meanwhile asked Epstein in 2014 for help with a property purchase.
The politician, who also served as president of the Nobel committee awarding the prestigious prize from 2009 to 2015, likewise planned a family trip to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, though the visit ultimately did not go ahead.
Both Crown Princess Mette-Merit and Mr Jagland have admitted to an “error of judgement”.
Former Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende, currently head of the World Economic Forum, which organises the yearly meet of the super-rich and powerful in Davos, was also reported to have dined with Epstein in New York several times in 2018 and 2019.
In November, Mr Brende had however denied to the Norwegian Aftenposten newspaper having ever had “anything to do” with the financier, who was arrested by the FBI in 2019. AFP
