Norway's parliamentary oversight committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a rare external inquiry into the Foreign Ministry’s connections with Jeffrey Epstein. This move follows fresh U.S. files exposing Epstein's ties to politicians, royals, and wealthy figures across Europe. Norway’s white-collar crime police are investigating former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland on suspicion of aggravated corruption. On Monday, police also announced investigations into Mona Juul, who recently resigned as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq, and her husband, former cabinet minister Terje Roed-Larsen, suspected of complicity. All three officials have stated their cooperation with investigations and denied the accusations. Yet, the scandal continues to shake Norway, a country that demands high ethical standards from its leaders. “If only half of what we have learned in the last few weeks is true, then this is terrible,” said Labour Party’s Sverre Myrli after a key parliamentary meeting. Newly released files show Jagland and Epstein’s aides planned a 2014 visit for Jagland, his family, and a relative to Epstein’s Palm Beach estate and Caribbean island. Jagland denies visiting the island. A 2014 email reveals Jagland asked Epstein for help financing an Oslo apartment. In 2018, Epstein sought Jagland’s help to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and hinted at intelligence to offer President Putin. Jagland promised to raise this with Lavrov’s assistant. Roed-Larsen’s ties surfaced in 2019. He apologized multiple times and stepped down from a New York peace institute in 2020. Files say Juul and Roed-Larsen planned a 2011 visit to Epstein’s island with their kids, though it is unclear if it happened. Roed-Larsen called Epstein a “thoroughly good human being” in 2017 and received Epstein’s help to buy an Oslo apartment in 2018, now under police scrutiny. Epstein’s 2019 will left $5 million to each of Juul and Roed-Larsen’s children, signed shortly before his death. Adding to the controversy, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologized last week to the king and queen for her friendship with Epstein from 2011 to 2014, long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor.