Rød-Larsen Regrets Long-Standing Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Key Points

• Former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen has publicly apologised for maintaining a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
• In an interview with NRK, Rød-Larsen said he should have ended the relationship earlier after learning about allegations against Epstein.
• He described Epstein as a “door-opener” to wealthy individuals who could financially support the International Peace Institute (IPI).
• Rød-Larsen said Epstein’s donations to IPI amounted to about NOK 6 million and represented less than 1% of its budget between 2011 and 2019.
• Rød-Larsen said he believed Epstein’s explanations that allegations against him were false and denied knowing about ongoing sexual abuse.
• His wife, former Norwegian ambassador Mona Juul, and Rød-Larsen are under investigation by Norway’s Økokrim in connection with alleged corruption linked to their dealings with Epstein; both deny criminal wrongdoing.
• The revelations have also become part of wider parliamentary scrutiny of Norway’s Foreign Ministry, including questions about funding, conflicts of interest and institutional oversight.
• Økokrim has said the criminal investigation remains ongoing and is expected to continue beyond 2026, with international police cooperation involved.
• Norwegian media have reported that investigators are collecting evidence relating to the couple, including material connected to the purchase of an Oslo property and documents concerning the Oslo peace process.

Norway Post Magazine (NPM) October 2, 2026 – Former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen has broken years of silence over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying he deeply regrets maintaining close ties with the convicted sex offender and should have ended the relationship earlier. In an interview with Norway’s public broadcaster NRK at his home on the Greek island of Paxos, Rød-Larsen explained that Epstein had been valuable to him because of his access to wealthy potential donors for the International Peace Institute (IPI), which Rød-Larsen led. He said he believed Epstein’s explanations when allegations about sexual abuse emerged and maintained that he was unaware of systematic abuse. The interview comes as Rød-Larsen and his wife, former ambassador Mona Juul, remain under investigation by Norway’s economic crime authority, Økokrim, and as Norway’s parliament examines wider questions surrounding Epstein’s contacts with senior officials and the country’s foreign-policy establishment.

Why Has Terje Rød-Larsen Apologised for His Relationship With Epstein?

According to Torgeir Strandberg of Aftenposten, who reported on the NRK interview on September 23, Rød-Larsen said he deeply regretted his relationship with Epstein and acknowledged that he should have ended contact sooner. He told NRK that, had he known Epstein was systematically involved in sexual abuse, he would have stopped dealing with him.

Rød-Larsen also acknowledged that he should have investigated Epstein’s history more thoroughly. Reports based on the NRK interview said Epstein had told him that he had served a prison sentence when the two first met, but Rød-Larsen did not independently examine the underlying case at the time.

Epstein had been convicted in 2008 in Florida after pleading guilty to offences involving a minor. He was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges involving minors and died in jail later that year. Authorities determined his death was suicide.

Rød-Larsen’s latest comments therefore concern a relationship that continued for years after Epstein’s first conviction.

How Did Rød-Larsen First Meet Jeffrey Epstein?

Rød-Larsen told NRK that his introduction to Epstein came through former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak in New York.

According to the account reported by NRK and subsequently by Aftenposten, Epstein invited Rød-Larsen to lunch and discussed his previous imprisonment. Epstein also offered to introduce Rød-Larsen to wealthy and influential people who could support IPI financially.

Rød-Larsen later described Epstein as a “door-opener” to wealthy individuals capable of contributing money to the institute.

The explanation is significant because IPI depended partly on external donations and also received substantial financial support from the Norwegian state during the period in which Rød-Larsen led the organisation.

NRK’s reporting placed Epstein’s donations to IPI at approximately NOK 6 million. Rød-Larsen stressed that the amount represented less than 1% of IPI’s total budget between 2011 and 2019. Other Norwegian reports have cited slightly different figures depending on the period and accounting basis.

Rød-Larsen has also said that an audit by KPMG found no evidence that Epstein received personal advantages in exchange for his donations to IPI and that he repaid a private loan from Epstein.

Those statements form part of Rød-Larsen’s explanation of the financial relationship. They do not determine the outcome of the separate criminal investigation now being conducted by Økokrim.

What Was Rød-Larsen’s Role at the International Peace Institute?

Rød-Larsen was a prominent Norwegian diplomat who became internationally known through his involvement in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

He later headed the International Peace Institute in New York. The organisation was formerly known as the International Peace Academy and worked on international peace and security issues.

According to NewsinEnglish.no, IPI received about NOK 130 million in Norwegian government funding between 1997 and 2018. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry eventually stopped funding the institute in 2018.

NRK’s reporting also examined allegations concerning young women who obtained visas to work at IPI. One woman identified in reporting as Svetlana Pozhidaeva has alleged that she was connected to Epstein and that Rød-Larsen supported her visa applications.

Rød-Larsen has denied knowing that she was a victim of Epstein or that IPI was being used as part of a trafficking operation. Aftenposten reported that Rød-Larsen, through his lawyer John Christian Elden, denied knowledge of the alleged circumstances surrounding the woman.

The distinction between what Rød-Larsen knew at the time and what later became public is central to his account.

What Does Rød-Larsen Say About His Knowledge of Epstein’s Abuse?

Rød-Larsen has said he did not know that Epstein was continuing to sexually abuse women and girls.

In his interview with NRK, he said he accepted Epstein’s explanation that allegations against him were false. He now says that he should have taken action earlier.

The former diplomat’s position is that his understanding of Epstein changed as more information became available.

According to Torgeir Strandberg of Aftenposten, Rød-Larsen said that if he had known Epstein was systematically contributing to sexual abuse, he would have ended the relationship.

This remains Rød-Larsen’s account rather than an established finding about the full extent of what he knew at particular points during the relationship.

The distinction is particularly relevant because the Norwegian investigation concerns possible criminal conduct, while Rød-Larsen’s interview primarily addresses his personal explanation and regret.

What Did the Released Epstein Documents Reveal About the Norwegian Couple?

The release of large quantities of Epstein-related material by US authorities intensified scrutiny of Rød-Larsen, Juul and other prominent Norwegians.

The documents reportedly contained extensive correspondence involving Rød-Larsen and Epstein, including discussions about meetings, dinners, travel, property and financial matters.

NewsinEnglish.no reported that the documents included correspondence concerning a family trip involving Rød-Larsen, Juul and their children to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean. The reporting also described assistance from Epstein and people around him involving one of the couple’s children, including university and employment matters.

The documents also reportedly showed that Rød-Larsen and Epstein discussed property in Europe.

Another significant issue concerns the Oslo apartment purchased by Rød-Larsen and Juul in 2018. Økokrim later searched the property as part of its investigation. Aftenposten reported that the purchase was allegedly facilitated by Epstein, while the seller has disputed the circumstances of the transaction.

The couple deny wrongdoing.

Why Are Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul Under Investigation?

Norway’s National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, Økokrim, opened its investigation into Rød-Larsen and Juul in February 2026.

According to Økokrim’s official statement, Juul is being investigated for aggravated corruption while Rød-Larsen is investigated for contributing to aggravated corruption. The authority said the investigation was opened to determine whether criminal conduct had occurred and warned that it was likely to be extensive and long-running.

Aftenposten reported that Økokrim searched the couple’s Frogner apartment in Oslo and another premises connected to a witness. Rød-Larsen was subsequently questioned by investigators and, according to Aftenposten, provided a detailed explanation while denying criminal responsibility.

The investigation is not a conviction, and both Rød-Larsen and Juul deny the allegations against them.

In September, Økokrim told NRK that the investigation was still continuing. According to Aftenposten’s report on the statement, investigators were concentrating on securing and gathering evidence and working with police authorities abroad. The authority did not expect the investigation to be concluded during 2026.

What Role Is Parliament Playing in the Epstein Investigation?

The controversy has moved beyond the criminal investigation into the political and administrative sphere.

Norway’s parliament has been questioning former foreign and development ministers about their departments’ dealings with IPI and wider contacts involving Epstein.

According to Nina Berglund of NewsinEnglish.no, the parliamentary hearings examined what she described as questions about “control and culture” within the Foreign Ministry and whether conflicts of interest and relationships among senior officials had been handled appropriately.

Former government ministers, including Erik Solheim, Jonas Gahr Støre, Børge Brende and Ine Eriksen Søreide, have appeared or been scheduled to appear in the parliamentary process.

The hearings are separate from the police investigation and from a longer-term independent parliamentary inquiry.

Berglund reported that the independent commission is not expected to deliver its final conclusions until 2028. Parliamentary committee leader Jonas Andersen Sayed said the hearings were intended to obtain information sooner rather than waiting for the commission’s final report.

The process is therefore examining institutional questions alongside the individual cases being investigated by Økokrim.

What Has Rød-Larsen Said About His Family’s Personal Circumstances?

Rød-Larsen also discussed the impact of recent events on his family.

According to the supplied NewsinEnglish.no report, he told NRK that the period had been deeply sorrowful following the death of his and Juul’s adult son by suicide in the spring.

The released Epstein documents have also reportedly shown that the couple’s children were named as beneficiaries in Epstein’s will.

These details have become part of the public reporting surrounding the family, although they are separate from the question of whether Rød-Larsen or Juul committed any criminal offence.

Rød-Larsen also suffers from speech difficulties following strokes and chose not to participate in a filmed interview. NRK instead interviewed him at his home on Paxos. Aftenposten’s reporting confirmed that the interview was conducted without him appearing on camera.

What Has Økokrim Found During Its Investigation?

The investigation has expanded beyond the original questions about Epstein’s financial relationship with IPI.

Aftenposten reported that Økokrim has been gathering documents and interviewing witnesses. The investigation has also involved evidence connected with the Frogner apartment and other financial dealings.

Investigators have also examined documents connected to the Oslo peace process. According to Aftenposten’s reporting, police found boxes containing documents at the couple’s Oslo home, including material related to the Oslo Agreement. Some documents were subject to confidentiality requirements, and they were subsequently returned.

The presence of those documents does not itself establish criminal wrongdoing. The investigation is intended to establish what happened, who knew what and whether any laws were breached.

Økokrim has also worked with foreign law-enforcement authorities. Aftenposten reported in April that Norway and France had agreed to cooperate in sharing evidence connected with the investigation.

How Has Rød-Larsen’s Account Changed the Public Record?

The NRK interview is important because it represents one of Rød-Larsen’s most extensive direct explanations of his relationship with Epstein.

Until recently, he had largely avoided detailed public discussion of the relationship after Norwegian media first reported concerns about his ties to Epstein.

Dagens Næringsliv had previously reported on the relationship in 2020. At that time, Rød-Larsen did not respond to the newspaper’s questions, according to the supplied NewsinEnglish.no account.

The later release of US documents provided additional correspondence and photographs, bringing renewed attention to the relationship and prompting further Norwegian investigations.

His latest explanation does not resolve the questions being examined by Økokrim. Instead, it provides Rød-Larsen’s account of why the relationship developed, why it continued and what he says he understood about Epstein’s conduct at the time.

What Is the Background to the Rød-Larsen and Epstein Development?

Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul were among Norway’s best-known diplomatic figures, particularly because of their involvement in the Oslo peace process during the early 1990s.

Rød-Larsen subsequently built an international career in peace and conflict diplomacy and became head of IPI in New York. Epstein became one of the institute’s donors while also developing a personal relationship with Rød-Larsen.

The relationship attracted renewed attention after Epstein’s criminal conviction, his 2019 arrest and his death in custody.

In 2020, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv publicly examined Epstein’s financial links to Rød-Larsen and IPI. Later releases of US government documents provided additional information about communications and relationships involving Rød-Larsen, Juul and other prominent Norwegians.

Norwegian authorities opened the current Økokrim investigation in February 2026. The authority has since collected documents, questioned witnesses and cooperated with foreign police.

The parliamentary dimension developed alongside the criminal investigation. Parliament has been examining the conduct of successive governments and officials responsible for foreign affairs and development assistance, particularly regarding funding decisions and potential conflicts of interest.

The independent commission is expected to examine the wider Norwegian connections and provide a later assessment, while the police investigation will determine whether criminal offences can be established.

How Could the Development Affect Norwegian Diplomacy and Public Institutions?

For Norwegian diplomats, public officials and institutions, the immediate significance of the development lies in the continuing scrutiny of financial relationships, donor access and conflicts of interest.

The parliamentary hearings are examining how government funding decisions were made and how officials dealt with relationships involving IPI and Epstein. According to NewsinEnglish.no, former officials have offered differing views about whether the controversy indicates weaknesses in institutional culture or whether existing safeguards were sufficient at the time.

For the public, the continuing investigations mean that several questions remain unresolved. These include whether any financial or personal benefits were improperly connected to official positions, whether institutional safeguards were followed and what senior officials knew about Epstein’s activities at different points.

For Rød-Larsen personally, his public apology establishes his stated regret but does not determine the outcome of the Økokrim investigation. The same applies to the allegations involving Mona Juul.

The police investigation remains active, while the parliamentary process and the independent commission are examining broader institutional issues. Økokrim has said the criminal investigation is complex, involves international cooperation and is unlikely to conclude immediately.