Police in Norway have opened an investigation into a high-profile diplomat and her husband over their links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mona Juul resigned as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq on Sunday, days after she was suspended following Norwegian media reports that each of her children would receive $5m (£3.6m) in a will allegedly signed by Epstein days before he died.
Emails released in the so-called Epstein files also appear to show that Juul's husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, had dinner with Epstein in Paris in June 2019, weeks before Epstein's arrest in the US on sex trafficking charges.
Juul's lawyer has said she does not recognise the accusations made against her and Rød-Larsen's lawyer expressed confidence that the investigation will clarify there is no basis for criminal liability.
Norway's foreign ministry noted that Juul's contact with Epstein revealed a serious lapse in judgement. An aggravated corruption inquiry has been launched by the Norwegian economic crime unit Økokrim, with the police announcing that they would investigate whether benefits were received in connection with her position.
A property in Oslo has been searched in connection with the investigation. Reports suggest Rød-Larsen had extensive communication with Epstein and arranged multiple meetings with him alongside Juul.
Juul and Rød-Larsen were instrumental in negotiating the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, previously seen as a breakthrough in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Juul is the latest public figure from Norway drawn into the expanding Epstein scandal, which has also implicated Crown Princess Mette-Marit, former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, and the chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende.
Mette-Marit publicly apologized for her friendship with Epstein, revealing three years of exchanged messages. Jagland is under investigation for his alleged ties, while Brende acknowledged dining with Epstein and is subject to an independent review by the WEF.
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