A veteran diplomat tied to Middle East peace efforts resigned following reports that her family was named in Jeffrey Epstein’s will and amid a continuing government review of her contacts with the financier.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Norway’s ambassador to Jordan, Mona Juul, has resigned after coming under scrutiny for her past contact with Jeffrey Epstein and reports that Epstein left millions of dollars to her family in a will drafted shortly before his death in 2019, according to Norway’s Foreign Ministry.
The ministry announced Juul’s resignation Sunday evening, days after she was suspended from her post. The action followed reporting that Epstein bequeathed $10 million to the children of Juul and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, a Norwegian diplomat and academic. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Juul’s decision to step down was “correct and necessary,” citing what he described as a serious lapse in judgment stemming from her contact with Epstein. Eide said the matter had made it difficult to restore the level of trust required for her diplomatic role.
The Foreign Ministry said its investigation into Juul’s knowledge of and contact with Epstein will continue. Juul will remain in dialogue with the ministry as the review proceeds, Eide said.
The ministry also announced it has launched a review of its funding of and relationship with the International Peace Institute, a New York-based think tank, during the period when it was led by Rød-Larsen. Eide said Rød-Larsen had also demonstrated poor judgment in connection with Epstein.
Juul and Rød-Larsen were key figures in facilitating the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, the secret negotiations that laid the groundwork for agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
In a statement to Norwegian news agency NTB last week, Juul acknowledged that it had been “imprecise” to previously describe her contact with Epstein as minimal. She said the contact stemmed from her husband’s relationship with Epstein and that she did not have an independent social or professional relationship with him. Juul said her interactions with Epstein were sporadic and private and not connected to her official duties, but conceded that she should have exercised greater caution.
The developments come as newly released Epstein-related documents have drawn renewed attention to prominent figures in Norway. Crown Princess Mette-Marit issued a public apology Friday after records provided additional details about her past relationship with Epstein, saying she was sorry “to all of you whom I have disappointed.”
Separately, Norway’s economic crimes unit has opened a corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, who also previously chaired the committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize, over his ties to Epstein. Jagland’s lawyer has said he will cooperate with investigators.
The Foreign Ministry has not indicated when its reviews will conclude but said the ongoing inquiries are intended to clarify the scope of contact between Norwegian officials and Epstein and assess any implications for public trust.
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