In the elegant Oslo residence where diplomacy once reigned supreme, Ambassador Mona Juul opened a letter that would upend her family’s quiet life: Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender she had known socially years earlier, had inexplicably bequeathed $10 million directly to her young child.
The revelation, buried in freshly unsealed 2026 Epstein estate documents, sent shockwaves through Norway’s elite circles. Juul, once a celebrated UN diplomat and wife of former foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, now faces an explosive corruption probe launched by Norwegian authorities. Investigators are scrutinizing whether the massive inheritance was payment for influence—perhaps tied to her high-level international roles—or simply an inexplicable act of generosity from a man long dead.
Juul has issued no public comment, but sources say she is cooperating fully while reeling from the betrayal of trust. As the scandal threatens to engulf Norway’s diplomatic legacy, one chilling question hangs in the air: what other hidden favors did Epstein buy among the powerful?
In the elegant Oslo residence where diplomacy once reigned supreme, Ambassador Mona Juul opened a letter that would upend her family’s quiet life: Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender she had known socially years earlier, had inexplicably bequeathed $10 million directly to her young child.
The revelation, buried in freshly unsealed 2026 Epstein estate documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January, sent shockwaves through Norway’s elite circles. Norwegian media, including NRK and VG, first reported the detail: Epstein’s 2019 will—drafted shortly before his death by suicide in a New York jail—allocated $5 million each to the two children of Juul and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, totaling $10 million. The couple, celebrated architects of the 1993 Oslo Accords that brought hope to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, had maintained social ties with Epstein in the years following his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution.
Juul, 66, a veteran diplomat who had served as Norway’s ambassador to the United Nations, Jordan, and Iraq, resigned abruptly on February 8, 2026. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide announced the decision, stating her contact with Epstein represented “a serious lapse in judgment” that undermined the trust required for her role. “The situation makes it difficult to restore the confidence that the position demands,” Eide said.
The fallout escalated the next day. Norway’s economic and environmental crime unit, Økokrim, launched an investigation into Juul on suspicion of gross corruption tied to her Foreign Ministry position, and into Rød-Larsen, 78—a former deputy prime minister and president of the International Peace Institute—for complicity in gross corruption. Authorities conducted searches at properties linked to the couple, probing whether the bequest constituted undue benefits or quid pro quo for influence in diplomatic or peace-building circles. Emails unearthed in the Epstein files suggested ongoing contact, including visits to Epstein’s properties and mutual favors, raising questions about potential leverage or hidden payments.
Juul has issued no public comment, but her lawyer, Thomas Skjelbred, stated she does not recognize the accusations and is cooperating fully with investigators, who plan to question her soon. Sources close to the family describe her as reeling from the betrayal of trust, insisting any association predated full public knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and involved no wrongdoing.
The scandal compounds Norway’s broader Epstein reckoning. Parallel probes target former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland for aggravated corruption over gifts and stays at Epstein’s residences, while Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s own contacts prompted a public apology. Charities have distanced themselves, and parliament has initiated external inquiries into Foreign Ministry links.
As the scandal threatens to engulf Norway’s diplomatic legacy—built on mediation, human rights, and egalitarianism—one chilling question hangs in the air: what other hidden favors did Epstein buy among the powerful? With millions of pages still under review and transatlantic scrutiny intensifying, the answers could reshape elite accountability far beyond Oslo.
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