Terje Rød-Larsen, the former Norwegian diplomat who’s now in trouble over his lengthy association with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, underwent police questioning back home in Oslo on Thursday. Police said he was cooperative and repeated that their investigation will also be lengthy.
“He has answered our questions and we have the impression that he wants to cooperate with Økokrim (Norway’s police unit in charge of economic issues),” said prosecutor Marianne Bender. “The investigation is extensive and will take time.” Rød-Larsen has declared himself not guilty to corruption charges.
Bender declined to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that she and her colleagues are gathering information in addition to what’s in the so-called Epstein files that have been released by the US Department of Justice. She said they’ve also been questioning others tied to the corruption investigation and are in contact with “relevant foreign police officials.”
The Epstein files, compiled in connection with Epstein’s offenses over the years, include millions of documents, photos and personal correspondence between Epstein and his vast network of contacts including Rød-Larsen and Rød-Larsen’s wife, Mona Juul. Juul been charged with serious corruption tied to the couple’s alleged financial dealings with Epstein and their acceptance of money, gifts, travel and accommodation while she was still a top diplomat at Norway’s foreign ministry. Rød-Larsen has been charged as an accessory to serious corruption.
His defense attorney, John Christian Elden, said the charges against Rød-Larsen don’t refer to any concrete actions, making it difficult to know what he’s suspected of doing. Elden said his client had nonetheless clarified “his relation to Jeffrey Epstein” including economic ties and a payment of USD 250,000 that Epstein made to Rød-Larsen in 2015.
Bender also confirmed that the questioning took place in Oslo, even though Rød-Larsen, age 78, now lives in Abu Dhabi. He had refused to respond to reporters’ questions after his name appeared repeatedly in the most recent release of documents tied to Epstein, and Elden claimed he was ill following two strokes and had lost much of his cognitive abilities.
Newspaper Dagbladet, however, tracked Rød-Larsen down to Abu Dhabi and recently published photos of him walking alone down a street wearing shorts and eating ice cream. That in turn raised questions about whether Rød-Larsen would resist requests for him to return to Oslo.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
