ISTANBUL

Differenza Donna Association filed a formal complaint, calling for an in-depth investigation into the files of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and possible links to Italy, news agency ANSA reported Tuesday.

The complaint was submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Rome on March 26.

The association requested "the opening of investigations into possible transnational crimes of trafficking, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation of women, girls, and minors connected to the documents made public by the U.S. Department of Justice."

According to the complaint, the Epstein files reportedly reveal "recurring instances of Italian individuals," references to stays and travel in Italy, and contacts with people involved in internationally significant economic and social circles who may have been linked to Epstein’s network.

"As an association that has been managing anti-violence centers for over 30 years, we felt it necessary to contact the Public Prosecutor's Office because the material that has emerged cannot remain confined to the media debate," the anti-violence group noted.

The association is asking the Rome Prosecutor's Office to investigate "whether Italian territory was a transit point, perpetration point, or facilitation point for crimes connected to the Epstein network."

Epstein, who faced charges of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, including victims as young as 14, and running a sex trafficking network, was found dead in his Manhattan, New York jail cell in 2019.