Owner of Budapest property linked to Epstein files says he was threatened

Freshly released documents from the Epstein files have brought renewed attention to a Budapest apartment on Király Street, revealing sharply conflicting accounts from those involved. While the Norwegian owner of the property now claims he was threatened by Jeffrey Epstein, recently published emails appear to suggest a very different story.

Owner of Budapest property says he has been threatened

Haakon Gundersen, a Norwegian film producer and the indirect owner of the central Budapest flat, issued a statement denying any business relationship with the late American financier. According to Gundersen, Epstein was introduced to him merely as a potential intermediary who could help connect him with Silicon Valley investors. He insists that no joint projects or agreements ever materialised.

Despite this, Gundersen claims Epstein later demanded money from him and attempted to pressure him, although he says he neither complied nor suffered any consequences. He also maintains that Epstein never fulfilled any of the alleged threats, writes Szeretlek Magyarország.

This wasn’t exactly the case

However, documents released by the US Department of Justice in January paint a more nuanced picture. In an email exchange from January 2017, Gundersen provided Epstein with the address of the Király Street apartment. His response was blunt, urging him to sell the property “as quickly as possible”.

Subsequent correspondence indicates that the flat could have been sold within weeks for around EUR 240,000, and Gundersen even promised to forward a draft contract. Ultimately, the transaction never went ahead.