THE TIPPERARY PEACE Convention has said it will “remain vigilant” about the outcome of a Norwegian police investigation into links between two former Peace Award winners and Jeffrey Epstein.
The Tipperary Peace Convention was instituted in 1983 to “promote the concept of peace through music and discussion”.
It annually issues a Peace Award to people who have “made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the peace-making process” and to “honour those who work tirelessly to build peace and bring hope in challenging times”.
In 1993, Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul and her husband Terje Larsen were issued the award for the role they played in the Oslo Accords.
Juul and Larsen were part of secret negotiations that led to the peace agreement signed in 1993 in Washington D.C. between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
However, Norwegian police have opened an “aggravated corruption” investigation into former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland, as well as Juul and her husband.
The Norwegian economic crime unit, Økokrim, announced yesterday that it will “investigate whether benefits were received in connection with her [Jull’s] position”.
Juul resigned as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq on Sunday, days after she was suspended following reports in Norwegian media that her two children would receive $5 million each in a will allegedly signed by Epstein days before he died.
Epstein signed the will on 8 August, less than 48 hours before he was found dead in his cell in a New York prison where he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Emails released in the Epstein files also appear to show that Larsen had dinner with Epstein in Paris in June 2019, weeks before Epstein’s arrest in the US on sex trafficking charges.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said it was “necessary” for Juul to resign and added that her “contact with the convicted abuser Epstein has shown a serious lapse in judgment”.
Juul’s lawyer has said she “does not recognise the accusations made against her”, while Larsen’s lawyer said he is confident the investigation will clarify “there is no basis for criminal liability”.
The mention of someone’s name in the US files does not necessarily imply wrongdoing.
In a statement to The Journal, the Tipperary Peace Convention said it “notes the launch of an investigation into Mona Juul and her husband Terje Larsen over their links to Jeffrey Epstein”.
“In light of this, Tipperary Peace Convention will remain vigilant in relation to the outcome of the investigation,” added the statement.
The Tipperary Peace Convention added that “should the investigation lead to further action, it shall act appropriately when verdicts on indictments are reached”.
Previous Peace Award winners have included former presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, Malala Yousafzai, and Bob Geldof.
