– I began to cry.
Australian James Bowen worked at Terje Rød-Larsen’s widely reported think tank, the International Peace Institute (IPI), in New York for nearly three years starting in 2015.
The think tank has once again arrive under scrutiny following the recent release of Epstein documents revealing disturbing and previously unknown details about the Norwegian’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Information that Epstein funded the employment of an IPI employee, who later claimed to be one of his victims, has sparked strong reactions from several of her former colleagues at the Manhattan office.
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The woman started as an intern at IPI in 2016 and was promoted to a research assistant in 2018. She now says she is one of Epstein’s victims.
James Bowen knew the woman personally. He was deeply affected when he learned about the employment arrangement and who was behind it, he says.
“Appalling and Shocking”
Bowen spoke with Dagbladet by phone from Perth, Australia. The city is relatively isolated on the Australian continent. Nevertheless, Epstein’s actions also have clear ramifications there.
– I think it says something about the scope. This affects people all over the world,” Bowen said, referring to Virginia Giuffre, who resided near Perth.
She gained international attention when she came forward with her allegations against Epstein and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Bowen said he felt compelled to reach out to some of the young women who worked at IPI at the same time as him after the latest revelations. He wanted to hear if any of them had been directly exposed to anything related to Epstein, he explained.
– None of them have told me about anything like that,” Bowen said.
Dagens Næringsliv reported that emails and a money transfer show Epstein paid for the woman’s employment at IPI in 2018.
Neither Bowen nor other former employees contacted by Dagbladet were aware of any suspicion regarding the woman.
– She didn’t seem to have any connection to Epstein, and no one suspected anything. She seemed eager to learn, and engaged. I remember her talking to me about visa issues and considering different visa options,” said another former employee.
“Repulsive and Shocking”
Bowen told Dagbladet by phone from Perth, Australia. The city is relatively isolated on the Australian continent. Nevertheless, Epstein’s actions also have clear ramifications there.
– I think it says something about the scope. This affects people all over the world,” Bowen said, referring to Virginia Giuffre, who resided near Perth.
She gained international attention when she came forward with her allegations against Epstein and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Bowen said he felt compelled to reach out to some of the young women who worked at IPI at the same time as him after the latest revelations. He wanted to hear if any of them had been directly exposed to anything related to Epstein, he explained.
– None of them have told me about anything like that,” Bowen said.
Dagens Næringsliv reported that emails and a money transfer show Epstein paid for the woman’s employment at IPI in 2018.
Neither Bowen nor other former employees contacted by Dagbladet were aware of any suspicion regarding the woman.
– She didn’t seem to have any connection to Epstein, and no one suspected anything. She seemed eager to learn and engaged. I remember her talking to me about visa issues and considering different visa options,” said another former employee.
One of the former employees described the revelation as “repulsive and shocking.”
– I worked directly with this woman, but I knew her well and never suspected that she had come to IPI through a corrupt and exploitative scheme,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
– I don’t think anyone suspected anything. She seemed eager to learn and engaged. I remember her talking to me about visa issues and that she was considering applying for different visa options,” another source said.
Terje Rød-Larsen’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, was presented with the criticism and allegations in this story and responded on behalf of Rød-Larsen.
– We are not aware of any basis to claim that a “corrupt and exploitative scheme” existed. Rød-Larsen was not involved in hiring processes at IPI. These were handled administratively by a separate hiring group,” Elden wrote in an email.
