Prosecutors investigating Epstein files after claims Turkish girls were trafficked
Turkey's prosecutors are examining millions of new documents related to convicted sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein as part of an investigation into allegations that he trafficked Turkish children.
According to DW Turkish, the Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation in December after an opposition Iyi Party MP highlighted a reference in Epstein's 2008 civil case. The case alleged that he had "transported minor girls from Turkey, the Czech Republic, Asia, and numerous other countries, many of whom spoke no English".
Sources said the prosecutor's office was now examining the approximately three million documents that were released by the US Department of Justice on Friday for more evidence, as calls have continued to mount from Turkish politicians for a broader inquiry.
On Tuesday, an Iyi Party spokesperson called for a parliamentary investigation into possible trafficking by Epstein, who died in an apparent suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.
"We propose the urgent establishment of a parliamentary commission to investigate whether there are any Turkish children who were victims in the Epstein case, and if so, their fate, rehabilitation, and protection if they are alive and accessible," said Bugra Kavuncu, speaking from the party's headquarters.
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"These types of issues are a matter of humanity above all political calculations."
Dogan Bekin, an MP from the right-wing Yeniden Refah party, said he had submitted questions to both the interior ministry and the family and social services ministry asking whether any children had been "victimised by the Epstein criminal gang" and whether the ministries had "conducted the necessary inspections in schools and orphanages to identify these children".
He cited data from the Turkish Statistical Institute which said that between 2008 and 2016, 104,531 children had been reported officially missing in Turkey, the majority young girls.
"The [Epstein] documents revealed and the allegations made clearly demonstrate the need for careful examination in terms of local and international investigations," he said.
Bekin also asked whether Epstein had contacted "any politicians, administrators, or high-ranking officials in state institutions in Turkey."
One set of emails from 2017 reveals Epstein and Emirati Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of UAE port operator DP, arranging for Epstein’s “personal masseuse” to work at the spa at the Rixos hotel in the city of Antalya “so she gains better experiences”.
Epstein says he wants the masseuse, who he says has a Russian passport, to “learn as much as she can. all treatments etc.”.
Sulayem sent the request to Fettah Tamince, the billionaire founder of the hotel chain, who said he would “make sure” it happened.
On Wednesday, speaking to Halk TV columnist Ismail Saymaz, Tamince denied being aware of Epstein's involvement or reputation at the time but said his IT department was "looking into" whether any of the women brought there were minors.
International network
The release of the Epstein documents, which have revealed an international network of politicians, financiers and diplomats, has sparked turmoil worldwide.
The revelations forced the resignation of British peer and former ambassador Peter Mandelson on Tuesday, as images and emails revealed the depth of his longstanding friendship with Epstein.
Public figures from the US, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Slovakia are also among those who have faced scrutiny or calls for inquests over their links to the late financier.
A number of senior Turkish officials are mentioned in the documents, though there are no suggestions that they were involved in any wrongdoing.
Emails from American businessman Tom Pritzker appear to show him arranging a meeting between Epstein and Turkey's then foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, in 2010, shortly after his release from prison.
"Just got an email back from Davutoglu. He asks that you look him up. He will only stay until noon," wrote Pritzker.
In another email that same year, Pritzker referred to Davutoglu as a "Kissinger-type figure" and cited his friendship with Qatar's prime minister at the time, Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani.
Another email from Pritzker described Davutoglu as saying that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, then defence minister, another close Epstein associate, had "fucked it up royalllllllllly [sic]" in 2010, a presumed reference to the Mavi Marmara flotilla killings by Israeli forces.
On Monday, a spokesperson from Davutoglu's Future Party denied he had ever sought a meeting with Epstein.
"Our chairman stated that this meeting [with Pritzker] was a brief encounter and involved supporting the process being conducted by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs against the Armenian lobby's work in the US regarding the genocide allegations," deputy chairperson Mustafa Gozel wrote on X.
"However, he clarified that he had no prior meeting with Epstein, nor had he requested one."
In another email from Epstein to his then "secret girlfriend" Shelley Lewis in 2011, he remarks that he "might go to see [President Recep Tayyip] erdogan" in Turkey before travelling on to the city of Bodrum.
However, there is no evidence as to whether the reference was serious or not, and other emails appear to show Epstein being highly critical of the Turkish president.
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