– Mona Juul has taken note of the fact that she has been charged by Økokrim with gross corruption. She believes there is no basis for the charge and maintains that she has not committed any criminal offence, according to a press release from lawyer Thomas Skjelbred of Elden, the law firm representing Mona Juul. She gave evidence to Økokrim on Wednesday.

In the near future, she will also explain herself to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mona Juul believes that she has failed morally, but not criminally.

According to the press release, Juul will co-operate so that all the facts are thoroughly investigated.

Lawyer Skjelbred also emphasises that Juul distances herself from Jeffrey Epstein and that she regrets the contact she has had with him. He also emphasises the distinction between moral misjudgements and criminal offences.

“The fact that she today acknowledges that she exercised poor judgement by having contact with Epstein does not mean that she has acted in violation of the Criminal Code,” he continues.

Skjelbred also emphasises the extensive media coverage, which he describes as an enormous human burden.

“When every single email and private detail is taken out of context and reproduced in headlines, it is easy to create an image of guilt before the facts are investigated,” he says (NTB)

Whether cases are lifted out of context depends on the eyes of the beholder. Skjelbred skips over the fact that the facts are disputed. Some believe that the connection between Epstein and the couple was far closer than Juul gave the impression.

The employer can argue that Juul has caused the government and Norway a major loss of reputation.