Epstein assistant claims UN-linked institute was used to traffic victims

A former assistant to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that the International Peace Institute (IPI) was exploited to traffic victims under the guise of professional opportunities.

Svetlana Pozhidaeva, who worked for Epstein for years, stated that IPI staff were aware of the abuse but failed to act. She provided Dagbladet with a 2012 photo of herself with IPI accreditation, supporting her claims.

“Jeffrey Epstein operated a sophisticated system to bring women into the U.S. under false professional pretenses,” Pozhidaeva said. “I was one of those who survived this, and it’s time to expose the role IPI and its former president, Terje Rød-Larsen, played in this operation.”

She described being promised a diplomatic career in 2012 but instead being assigned menial tasks—such as taking photos at events or transcribing notes she believes were never published—while Epstein continued to abuse her. “This was not professional work. It was part of a mechanism Epstein used to control and move me across borders under institutional cover,” she said.

Pozhidaeva, educated in political science and fluent in multiple languages, claimed IPI’s Geneva office staff noticed her youthful appearance and questioned her presence, yet no one reported their suspicions. “Had even one diplomat or employee acted on their concerns in 2014, years of abuse could have been stopped,” she said.

She also alleged she was not the only victim trafficked through IPI, calling the institute’s involvement “a grave betrayal of the principles they claim to uphold.”

Terje Rød-Larsen, IPI’s former president, is under investigation by Norway’s Økokrim for alleged complicity in corruption linked to Epstein. His lawyer, John Christian Elden, told Dagens Næringsliv that Rød-Larsen “strongly rejects” any knowledge of the abuse described by Pozhidaeva. “At the time, there was no information to raise suspicion,” Elden stated, while expressing sympathy for Pozhidaeva’s experiences.

Dagbladet has sought comment from IPI but has not yet received a response.