A prominent Norwegian diplomat has stepped down following the initiation of an investigation into her connections with the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mona Juul, who served as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq, is among several notable Norwegian figures implicated in the recent release of documents related to Epstein.

Juul, recognized for her pivotal involvement in the clandestine Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that resulted in the Oslo Accords of the early 1990s, was placed on temporary suspension on Monday. This action was taken as authorities probe her alleged associations with Epstein, who died in 2019 while facing charges for sex trafficking.

According to reports from Norwegian media, Epstein bequeathed approximately £7.4 million in his will to Juul’s two children, whom she shares with her husband Terje Rod-Larsen, another diplomat influential in the Oslo talks.

“This is a correct and necessary decision. Juul’s contact with the convicted abuser Epstein represents a significant lapse in judgment,” stated Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

Eide also mentioned that the ministry would maintain discussions with Juul throughout the investigation to fully understand the nature of her interactions with Epstein.

‘It is important to understand the scope of the contact she, as an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has had with Epstein,’ he said.

He added that the Jordan embassy would be led by the deputy ambassador until a new envoy is appointed.

Mona Juul (pictured) is among several high-profile Norwegian figures swept up in the latest Epstein file release

Jeffrey Epstein is seen in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 8, 2004

Thomas Skjelbred, Juul’s lawyer, said in a statement that she resigned because ‘the situation she now finds herself in makes it impossible for her to discharge her duties in a responsible manner.’

Skjelbred added that the situation had ‘been an enormous personal strain on her and her immediate family,’ and that she would continue cooperating with the foreign ministry.

Norway’s political and royal circles have been thrust into the eye of the Epstein storm, including the CEO of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, who was found to have had three business dinners with Epstein and also communicated with the paedophile via email and text. 

Brende is currently under being investigated by the WEF, which he requested himself.  

Norway’s former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland, who is being investigated for ‘aggravated corruption.’

Jagland’s lawyer Anders Brosveet welcomed the opening of the investigation.

‘Based on what we have found so far, we are confident of the outcome,’ he told Reuters news agency.

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also come under scrutiny for her relationship with Epstein, which on Friday she said she ‘deeply regretted.’ 

Epstein’s death abruptly halted one of the most closely watched federal criminal cases in recent memory.

Prosecutors had accused him of operating a years-long sex trafficking operation involving underage girls, with alleged victims coming forward to describe abuse that spanned multiple states and countries.

His arrest in July 2019 followed years of scrutiny over a controversial plea agreement he reached in Florida in 2008, which allowed him to avoid federal prosecution at the time.

The new charges brought in New York exposed Epstein to the possibility of decades in prison if convicted.

A shadowy, orange object could be seen moving up the stairs to Epstein’s cell block at the New York prison at around 10.40pm the night before he was found dead

A piece of fabric used as a noose by Epstein on the night of this death 

His death ended the criminal case against him but did not end federal investigations into possible co-conspirators. 

Epstein’s death came amid a cascade of failures inside one of the federal government’s most secure detention facilities.

Prison records show that guards assigned to monitor Epstein did not conduct required checks during the overnight hours before his body was discovered.

Scheduled rounds at 3am and 5am were missed, according to official findings. 

Furthermore, cameras positioned outside Epstein’s cell were not functioning properly that night.  

Investigators later confirmed that at least two surveillance cameras had malfunctioned, leaving critical gaps in visual monitoring of the area.

Because of those failures, officials were unable to establish a definitive timeline of Epstein’s final moments.

To this day, no precise official time of death has been determined.

The newly released DOJ files contain additional details that investigators reviewed in the aftermath of Epstein’s death, including surveillance observations from inside the facility.

Epstein was found dead in the Metropolitan Correctional Centre on August 10, 2019

Among the millions of files released by the DOJ were photos from inside Epstein’s cell

According to the records, investigators from the FBI and the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General identified footage showing what appeared to be an unidentified figure moving toward the floor where Epstein was housed.

The footage reportedly captured an orange-coloured shape ascending a staircase in the vicinity of Epstein’s housing unit during the overnight hours.

Investigators noted the movement but did not publicly conclude whether the figure had any direct connection to Epstein or his death.

The surveillance system’s limitations and malfunctions prevented investigators from reconstructing a complete visual record of activity in the unit.