An opposition lawmaker has formally asked five cabinet ministers whether any official records link Turkey to the network of the late, disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, citing public claims that his aircraft may have flown to Turkey and raising concerns about missing children in the country.
Selcan Taşçı, a deputy from the opposition İYİ (Good) Party, submitted parliamentary questions on February 6 addressed to five ministers, requesting clarification about Epstein’s alleged criminal activity involving Turkish nationals or Turkish territory.
In one of the submissions, Taşçı asked Defense Minister Yaşar Güler whether ministry records show Epstein’s private jet having İncirlik Air Base as a destination, departure point or transit. The base, in southern Turkey, hosts Turkish and allied military facilities and has long been used by the US military. She also questioned what specific inspection or risk prevention mechanisms are in place at military facilities to guard against human trafficking or the illegal transport of children.
In another inquiry, she requested updated data from then-Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, now addressed to the new minister, Mustafa Çiftçi, on the current number of missing children nationwide and how many remained unidentified after the February 6, 2023, earthquakes. Her questions also focused on whether passport and border records indicate entry or exit movements by individuals allegedly linked to Epstein’s network, whether any undocumented child entries were detected in the past decade and whether foreign authorities have shared information with the ministry.
To the then-Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, Taşçı asked whether any investigation has examined possible links between missing children cases in Turkey and the international trafficking allegations outlined in the Epstein files. She then sought clarification on judicial cooperation with US authorities, document requests concerning Turkish citizens named in the files and whether negligence or institutional responsibility has been reviewed in domestic missing child investigations. These questions are now addressed to the current justice minister, Akın Gürlek.
Her question to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was about whether Ankara has sought or received official information, flight data or financial records from US authorities concerning allegations that may involve Turkish citizens or Turkish territory.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu was asked whether official flight, radar or airport records show Epstein’s aircraft landing in Turkey and whether special oversight mechanisms apply to private international flights carrying minors. She also sought clarification on whether radar traces or airspace transit records linked to flights involving İncirlik are retained and whether any foreign government has requested access to such data.
Jeffrey Epstein
She also referred to documents released by the US Department of Justice in court proceedings related to Epstein, the US financier charged with sex trafficking involving minors who died in jail in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial. She cited claims in Turkish public discourse that his aircraft traveled to Turkey multiple times and that Turkish figures may have appeared in related files.
Ministers are expected to respond to written parliamentary questions within 15 work days under parliamentary rules, although responses can be delayed. As of Saturday, no responses had been published.
Concerns of missing children have also resurfaced in Turkey after major natural disasters, such as the 1999 Marmara earthquake and more recent earthquakes. The Epstein case has attracted international attention due to his ties to prominent political and business leaders and the trafficking networks described in court documents.
While no direct link has been established between the Epstein allegations and missing-children cases in Turkey, the claims have reignited public debate over child disappearances.
According to judicial statistics cited in the Turkish media, 104,531 children were reported missing between 2008 and 2016. Most were later found, but detailed figures on how many remain missing have not been publicly released in recent years.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş denied claims that children went missing after the massive earthquakes in February 2023, saying “not a single one of our 1,912 children is missing.”
More than 53,000 people died in the twin earthquakes that year, while many others were reported missing.
She did not address allegations related to children said to have gone missing after the 1999 Marmara earthquake, which killed more than 18,000 people.
