“This is a correct and necessary decision. Juul’s contact with the convicted abuser Epstein has shown a serious lapse in judgment,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

The senior diplomat was temporarily suspended on Monday pending an investigation into her alleged links to Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

Epstein left US$10 million in his will to Juul’s two children with her husband, fellow diplomat and Oslo talks broker Terje Rod-Larsen, according to Norwegian media.

Eide said the ministry would continue to hold talks with Juul throughout the review to determine the extent of their dealings.