Norway is confronting a series of probes after a large tranche of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein became public at the end of January. The files, made available by the U.S. Department of Justice, indicate extensive interactions between Epstein - the U.S. sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 - and a number of senior Norwegian figures. The revelations have prompted both criminal investigations and institutional reviews.
Scope of official responses
Norway's parliament has approved an unusual external inquiry into the foreign ministry's connection to Epstein. Police are conducting investigations into a diplomat couple and into a former prime minister. Separately, the World Economic Forum has initiated an independent review into the conduct of its Norwegian chief executive following the emergence of contact between him and Epstein in the released files.
Diplomat couple: Terje Roed-Larsen and Mona Juul
Mona Juul, who resigned from her position as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq in February, is now a suspect in an investigation into gross corruption. Her husband, former government minister Terje Roed-Larsen, is suspected of complicity in gross corruption. Both have told lawyers that they do not believe the cases against them are justified.
Roed-Larsen has made public apologies for his relationship with Epstein in the past and resigned as chief executive of the New York-based International Peace Institute in 2020. The newly released files from the U.S. Justice Department portray a more extensive friendship and working relationship between Roed-Larsen and Epstein than had been previously disclosed.
Among the items in the files are references suggesting the couple planned a family trip to Epstein's private island in 2011 with their two children, although the documents do not make clear whether the trip actually occurred. A 2017 text message recorded in the files shows Roed-Larsen thanking Epstein for "everything you have done" and referring to him as his "best friend" and a "thoroughly good human being."
The records also indicate Epstein assisted Juul and Roed-Larsen in negotiations to buy an apartment in Oslo in 2018. In an email to the seller, Epstein warned that "it will become unpleasant" if the seller backed out over a price he considered too low. The files further show that in a will signed two days before his death, Epstein allocated $5 million to each of Roed-Larsen and Juul's two children.
Former prime minister: Thorbjoern Jagland
Thorbjoern Jagland, who served as prime minister in 1996-97 and later held prominent international roles including head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and Secretary General of the Council of Europe, is under investigation for alleged aggravated corruption related to dealings with Epstein. Jagland's lawyer has said the former prime minister welcomed the police probe and is confident it will clear him of criminal wrongdoing.
The files document planning in 2014 by Jagland and Epstein's assistants for a visit by Jagland, his wife, two children and his son's girlfriend to Epstein's properties in Palm Beach, Florida and in the Caribbean. Jagland has denied ever visiting Epstein's private island. In 2014 correspondence, Jagland sought Epstein's assistance in financing an apartment in Oslo. Separate emails from 2018 show Epstein asking Jagland to facilitate a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and claiming he had insights to offer President Vladimir Putin; Jagland said he would raise the matter with Lavrov's assistant.
World Economic Forum CEO: Boerge Brende
The World Economic Forum has opened an independent investigation into its CEO Boerge Brende to clarify his association with Epstein after the Justice Department documents revealed contact between them. Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister who became WEF CEO in 2017, requested the review and the WEF said he fully supported it.
Text messages from 2018-19 included in the files appear to reflect a more cordial tone between Brende and Epstein than Brende previously acknowledged. According to the material, the two dined together at least three times and attempted to schedule additional meetings. In one text following a dinner that included Epstein, Steve Bannon and Roed-Larsen, Brende thanked Epstein and called him a "brilliant host," adding "missing you Sir." The files show Brende's last contact with Epstein occurred a week before Epstein's arrest in 2019. The documents also record that Brende in 2025 stated he "had nothing to do" with Epstein.
What the files contain
The released documents encompass a range of communications and plans: emails, text messages, and references in a will, as well as notes indicating travel plans and efforts to secure meetings with high-level officials. Those disclosures are the basis for the current criminal investigations and institutional reviews taking place in Norway and within international organisations connected to the individuals named in the files.
Ongoing developments
Investigations are active and inquiries continue at both the domestic and organizational level. Authorities and institutions have initiated procedures intended to clarify the nature of relationships and whether misconduct occurred. Those processes are ongoing and their outcomes remain to be determined.
The release of the documents has produced political pressure and prompted scrutiny of how senior Norwegian figures engaged with Epstein. The scope of the information in the files has prompted Norway's legislature to seek external review of the foreign ministry's ties and has led the World Economic Forum to pursue an internal review into its leadership.