Opposition lawmaker claims $229 million in Iraqi oil transit fees missing

An opposition lawmaker has raised serious allegations regarding the handling of oil transit fees from Iraq, claiming a significant sum is missing. Deniz Yavuzyılmaz, a lawmaker from the Yeni Parti (New Party), stated that Turkey received $494 million in transit fees from the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government in 2019 for oil transported via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline and loaded at Ceyhan Port.

However, Yavuzyılmaz alleges that $229 million of this amount is unaccounted for, disappearing into what she described as a "black hole" on the island of Jersey, a jurisdiction known for its financial secrecy. She claims this money was transferred to a Turkish company named Turkish Energy Company (TEC), established on the island, before $264 million was reportedly sent to Turkey's state pipeline company, BOTAŞ.

“

What happened to the remaining $229 million 276 thousand dollars is unknown! This money evaporates on the island of Jersey, a black hole. At the current exchange rate, it's a loss of 11 billion lira! This is international robbery!

"What happened to the remaining $229 million 276 thousand dollars is unknown!" Yavuzyılmaz stated on social media. "This money evaporates on the island of Jersey, a black hole. At the current exchange rate, it's a loss of 11 billion lira! This is international robbery!"

The opposition party is demanding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other implicated Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials personally repay the missing funds. Yavuzyılmaz previously released details concerning alleged irregularities in oil transportation from 2014 to 2018, framing these issues as "criminal realities" disguised as diplomatic successes by the AKP government.

“

The criminal realities that the AKP packages as diplomatic success!