New Party leader Özgür Özel spoke at the parliamentary group meeting of his party. (AA Photo)
Main opposition New Party leader Özgür Özel has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s handling of an investment fund crisis, warning that the financial fallout could cost the Turkish economy over $100 billion.
“With the latest calculations, the cost of the fund fraud has reached $110 billion,” Özel told his parliamentary group at a weekly address on Oct. 20.
Özel’s statement came a day after the head of the Capital Markets Board (SPK) Mehmet Sütçü and Deputy Treasury and Finance Minister Osman Çelik resigned from their positions. Erdoğan later signed a decree for their removal from their posts as well.
“Where were you until yesterday?” asked Özel to Erdoğan, recalling that the fund crisis started 34 days ago.
Erdoğan hesitated to remove them from their positions because he was already aware that this fund crisis was very much linked with the ruling party officials, Özel claimed, recalling the resignation of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy leader Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya.
All those that were involved in this multibillion-dollar fund crisis were appointed by Erdoğan and had close ties with the ruling party, the opposition leader said.
In other remarks, Özel slammed the government over continued crackdown on media outlets following the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV, one of Türkiye’s most popular news channels.
“The trustee was appointed to Halk TV primarily to suppress coverage of the fund-crisis and the courtroom defense of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu,” he stated.
On Oct. 14, the authorities appointed a state trustee to the pro-opposition news channel Halk TV over alleged corruption and fraud links. The channel has stopped broadcasting since then.
Özel reminded that the trustee was appointed on the very day İmamoğlu commenced his defense at the court and the government’s objective was to silence all dissident voices.
