CHP moves to save Fenerbahçe’s chairman

ANKARA

A bill submitted by a CHP deputy to the Parliament affects the case of Aziz Yıldırım, the chairman of the Fenerbahçe, opening way for a re-trial. AA Photo

An opposition lawmaker has submitted a bill to Parliament for the re-trial of those who have been convicted through unlawful evidence and called on the government to immediately put it on the parliamentary agenda.

The bill thus directly affects the case of Aziz Yıldırım, the chairman of the Fenerbahçe, opening way for a re-trial.

Sezgin Tanrıkulu, deputy leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) introduced his proposal to amend the Law of Criminal Procedures suspending the execution of conviction and allowing a retrial of those who have been sentenced as a result of unlawful evidence. 

Recalling that the government passed a judicial package, but that it did not contain any regulation on convictions given through controversial ways, such as technical surveillance, secret witnesses and etc. “Specially authorized courts have been removed as a result of this judicial package and unaccomplished cases have been transferred to heavy sentence courts. However the main necessary regulation was ignored,” Tanrıkulu said at a press conference.

Criticizing the government for not fulfilling its promises of making a legal amendment to allow re-trials of controversial cases, such as that of Yıldırım, Tanrıkulu said “There is an application made for the re-trail of Yıldırım, but this application did not suspend the execution. I call on the government and the AKP [Justice and Development Party]: We are proposing taking this bill immediately to the Parliament’s agenda to avoid a major consequence that would hurt public conscience.”

Yıldırım, whose appeal into his six-year, three-month match-fixing case was rejected by Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals in January, is facing at least two more years in prison.