Breaking News... Özgür Özel exposes corruption in AKP municipalities! This is how he showed the 'octopus' to Erdoğan!

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel had responded to AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "octopus" analogy regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) operations with the words: "I will show him an octopus tomorrow. He is speaking as if an accusation not even leveled by the prosecutor has been proven. I will show everyone watching our group meeting tomorrow the only octopus that Erdoğan has seen. Let's see what this so-called octopus is all about."

The weekly CHP group meeting in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), which Özel had signaled, has begun.

Özel is currently making important statements regarding the agenda at the group meeting.

Our Chairman Özgür Özel is speaking at our party's TBMM group meeting. https://t.co/05aVGCEyKW

— CHP ???? (@herkesicinCHP) May 27, 2025

Highlights from Özel's statements are as follows:

"We hosted a historic meeting in Istanbul. 89 of our sister parties from 81 countries were in Istanbul at the invitation of the Socialist International. We hosted them. Under the chairmanship of our esteemed comrade, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, we discussed at length everything happening in the world and what social democrats and socialists are doing and can do against it.

We discussed the threats created by the far-right and racism, the civil war provocations that create refugees, how Turkey, which has been left alone with the refugee problem, will overcome this issue, Palestine, Trump's dreams for Gaza and the underlying reasons for these dreams, and the Russia-Ukraine war. We discussed Russia's occupation of Ukraine and, of course, the coup attempt against our future, the coup attempt against our future that we repelled on March 19 with great resistance, great struggle, week-long Saraçhane protests, millions standing up for the national will, and all democrats rising up in 81 provinces; we all stood together for our presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, whom we believe will be the next president by the will of the nation."

"WORLD LEADERS SAID FREEDOM FOR İMAMOĞLU"

They both said freedom for Ekrem İmamoğlu. World leaders carried and shared İmamoğlu's posters and pictures. They also expressed that they would be followers of his freedom and reinstatement to office so that he can be released immediately, tried without arrest, and perform the duty Istanbul has given him, stating that this is what they expect and that this is the right thing to do, and that anything else is a coup. On behalf of the Republican People's Party, I thank all our comrades once again from under the roof of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey who did not leave us alone in Istanbul, who stood by us from the first day, and who will continue to do so.

"YOU ARE ENDING POLITICS AS A JUNTA LEADER"

Today, someone, rest assured, in a few hours, on the podium he took to with state resources, while holding the title of President, while he is currently sitting in the seat of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet Paşa, will come out and talk about the May 27 coup. Those are the families with whom the Republican People's Party struggled against the one-man regime during the referendum process, against the so-called Presidential government system brought today, along with the families and grandchildren of the victims of that coup.

The Democrat Party, the party that struggled against the one-man regime together with the Republican People's Party during the table of six process, and the parties founded by those who were involved in that coup process are now the alliance partners of the Justice and Development Party, and he will set himself aside.

He will try to attribute the May 27 coup, the victimization it created, and the shame of hanging the prime minister and ministers to the Republican People's Party, and while doing so, he will cast aspersions on the country's second president, İsmet Paşa, the diplomat who tore up the Treaty of Sèvres and made the Treaty of Lausanne, the commander of the Western Front, a symbol of honor, morality, and honesty. I condemn that cursed tongue in advance, bowing before the memory of İsmet Paşa, who, on the night he lost the election, said to his son, "I lost, democracy won," and paved the way for democracy when he could have been a one-man ruler.

I return every word he said to İsmet Paşa to the junta leader who is attempting another coup 65 years later. İsmet Paşa came as president. He entered the elections, he lost. He handed over the presidency and went down in history as a president. You came as prime minister, you became president, but you are ending politics as a junta leader.

A small reminder. The Parliament worked until late on the evening of July 14. In fact, the Parliament closed at 2 or 3 AM on the night of July 15 to open on Tuesday. I was the duty group deputy chairman. I was in Ankara, and when the tanks moved on the evening of July 15, when the planes were flying, and it was understood that it was a coup, they looked into our eyes. Without hesitating for a minute, I said, "Everyone in Ankara should come to the Republican People's Party," to the deputies. We gathered. I said: "We cannot reach the Chairman, he is on the plane. The airspace is closed. He is trying to land in Istanbul. We will do something, friends. The Parliament is closed. Every coup has a target, and coups target the elected. We must open the Parliament, go to the Parliament, and resist this coup from there." None of my friends hesitated. Some said, "I have a gun at home, should I go and get it? You never know what they will do." We all came to the Parliament in the cars we drove ourselves, and one by one, we called the Speaker of the Parliament of that period, the Deputy Speakers of the Parliament, the Group Deputy Chairmen, everyone we could find, and said, "Let's open the Parliament and resist the coup from there." İsmail Kahraman, İsmail Kahraman with whom we were at odds, with whom we were at each other's throats, hugged us because of this stance, saying, "This is a great example of democracy and solidarity," and it was on the agenda for days and days. I went to the podium in jeans and a borrowed shirt. I said: "We are the main opposition party until a new election is held and the nation gives another task. We are behind the national will, the elected parliament, and democracy. We are against all coup plotters to the end. We are behind the elected, we are against the coup.

"THIS COUP IS A COUP OF COWARDS"

America used to call those who made the 1980 coup "our boys," our boys. I said those who made the March 19 coup received permission from America. They were silent for three days. Then they made a condemnation or two. Now they are not getting into those topics, but Erdoğan, who is silent on Trump, who wants to dismantle the natural gas in front of Gaza by saying he will make it a tourist city, who plays games there by acting crazy, who does not object when they say they will send Palestinians to other countries, who remains silent on a plan that makes the Turkic Republics, which should recognize Northern Cyprus, recognize Southern Cyprus, signed a contract with Trump's oil baron, Harold Hamm, on March 12 with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation. For oil exploration in the Southeast and Thrace. Trump is sending him. "I sent my man to him," he says. "They made very beautiful agreements," he says. "Our boys," he says, exactly one week before the coup, "First, make an agreement with our oil baron for all oil exploration in Turkey. Then you can look after your business." Look, a journalist asked this person a question. "There is unrest in Turkey. How does this situation affect your oil business?" This man says, look at this man, the man Trump sent to Erdoğan, the man Erdoğan made sign with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, he says: "Turkey is a third-world country.

Such things happen in third-world countries. You throw dissidents in jail, you take care of them. What Erdoğan is doing will be useful," he says. "What he is doing will be useful. The dissident," look, he doesn't say terrorist, he doesn't say the one who commits corruption. "You throw the dissidents inside, you take care of them. What Erdoğan is doing will be useful. That's why there is no problem in oil exploration." So, our boys in September 12 have now decided, with Trump's permission, to oppose these things, to raise their voices, for example, not to say yes to Trump's occupation of Gaza, and to walk the path with the current president to throw the next president in jail. This coup, unlike all other coups, is not a coup against the government. This coup is a coup made by the government against the future, against the future government, a coup made by cowards.

"COME ON, TAKE IT DOWN"

The coup plotters, the coup plotters are in a panic phase. They are attacking left and right because the empty file is not filling up. Some conscientious voices within the AK Party, actually some smart voices, those who think about the party's future, did not consent to this. Now grumbling has started among the coup plotters. "Where was the file full? Were we deceived? Why can't they find it? The economy has hit rock bottom, how will it recover now?" Tayyip Bey, on one hand, is trying to own the process now, just as he supported Zekeriya Öz in the previous conspiracy cases, but on the other hand, the pot is boiling. It has reached such a point that Ekrem İmamoğlu is the elected mayor of Istanbul. There is an allegation, there is no indictment.

What if there is one, there is no trial. What if it starts, there is no verdict. What if he is taken, there is no finalization. So he is innocent. Innocent until proven and finalized, right? You cannot hang Ekrem İmamoğlu's picture in the municipality. You cannot hang it in the metro. You cannot hang it there, you cannot hang it here. Why? Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. If a judge were to make such a decision, the judge would make it. He has put himself in the place of a judge. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is doing absurd things. Thank goodness, friends, when they said you can't hang it anywhere in Istanbul, they said, "We will hang it somewhere in Istanbul that the whole world will hear about." They went and hung it on the Bosphorus Bridge. I am saying it here, right here. This was it. They are going crazy over this, over this. Come on, take it down. Take it down, come on, take it down! Come on, take it down! I am saying to the cowards hiding behind a chief prosecutor, three prosecutors, and three judges: Ekrem İmamoğlu is innocent. In the future, he will hold you accountable for this before the law.

No, friends, when the day comes and the tide turns, when you say "AKP," all AK Party members will be afraid. They have 12 million members. We will not hold any citizen of this country who has been convinced, who has become a member, who has become a member without knowing, who has become a member for this reason, who had a child who was going to take an interview, who was forced, who became a member from the heart, of a party that is honorable, honest, and not slanderous, accountable for this process. We will hold the coup plotters accountable!

We will hold those who try to show the non-existent octopus as if it exists accountable. We will hold the real bribe-takers, the corrupt, those who suck the blood of the nation accountable. The day will come, the tide will turn, those who commit injustice, those who commit lawlessness, those who commit coups will be held accountable. Otherwise, when today's AK Party member receives a 30,000 TL pension instead of 14,000 TL from the Republican People's Party tomorrow, they will say, "What a mistake I made in the past. God bless my Ekrem son," and will vote for us with both hands.

From now on, let those who are afraid of Ekrem İmamoğlu's banner and picture continue to be afraid. You will see that İmamoğlu is everywhere. İmamoğlu is everywhere.

"I WILL SHOW THE OCTOPUS AT THE END"

Now let's speed up a bit because I will show the octopus at the end. You must see it. I said it last week. Suddenly a panic, a panic. Whether you are looking for someone to challenge or someone to send news. I am saying to the Chief Public Prosecutor in Istanbul: There are so many municipalities. In Istanbul Metropolitan...

There are 37 full-fledged corruption files belonging to the 9, belonging to before. Süleyman Soylu came to the file, seized it, covered it up. Copies of those 37 files are in the İBB. If Süleyman Soylu didn't take them with him, they are in the Ministry of Interior. You didn't take any action. There are 97 corruption files in Ankara. They seized them, they didn't take any action. Look, let me summarize what is happening in Turkey today: The Court of Accounts audits the municipality, the internal auditor audits it, the civil inspector audits it. Especially the Court of Accounts audits on behalf of this Parliament. It prepares the report. If it finds an element of crime and if it has warned and it has not been corrected, if it believes it is a crime, it also decides to file a criminal complaint. I said: "I will start from Istanbul, from the AK Party municipalities. I will start from Fatih." Now the Fatih Mayor is in rebellion. He is saying, "Why are you starting with me? While Esenler is there..." The reason I started with Fatih is to say, "Leave Esenler, see what else is in Fatih," but now...

HE EXPOSED THE CORRUPTION OF AKP MUNICIPALITIES

Court of Accounts decision, July 4, 2024, decision no. 2024/74. In the Istanbul Fatih Municipality, in the previous year's transactions, under the heading "Municipal deputy mayors receiving attendance fees from more than one municipal company," it was decided by the signature of the 7th Chamber President and four members that a criminal complaint should be filed because it was seen unanimously that this was forbidden and a crime, and that this money was paid despite all warnings. To the prosecutor's office, Istanbul Fatih Municipality. In the report, "Since it is understood that advertising spaces were used without tender..." Advertising billboards. They seized all the advertising billboards of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, all the companies renting the billboards, and the assets of the companies. There are tenders. The Court of Accounts examined them, found no irregularities. Because a secret witness said, "It was done according to procedure but a bribe must have been given," they took them all. Here, the Court of Accounts examined it and says: "It is understood that the advertising billboards were rented out without being tendered in violation of Law No. 2886." Without tender, to whoever they wanted. "There is great public damage." The decision of the 7th Chamber, unanimously, Fatih Municipality. I am just presenting examples. "The administration cannot allocate real estate to a sports club." It did. Supporters operate it there, make money from the facilities. You cannot do this, it says. There is a way to do it, how it should be done. It gave it from the municipality. The man is operating a cafe there, renting it out, etc. There is damage, it says, it has filed a criminal complaint.

We have come to the big one for Fatih. Istanbul Fatih Municipality. In the report, "The building built on the land for which the right of construction was established on the condition that the administration build and operate a student dormitory building is operated by the contractor as a tourist hotel, this hotel was built in 2015, it has been operated for 10 years, the current Fatih Mayor has not taken any action on this matter despite it being constantly criticized for six years, the hotel is under the name of..." We say something, something happens to someone there. "...under the name of... unlicensed..." No license. If a fire breaks out... If a fire breaks out... "...it is understood that it is operated as an unlicensed tourist hotel, that the Basra Konağı Hotel has a website in the internet search..." It is written. "Since it is understood that the name of the hotel in question is on many hotel reservation sites, that users have been commenting on the hotel from five years ago to the present, and that the hotel is still accepting customers, and that the place built as a student dormitory is operated as a hotel despite being warned many times, a criminal complaint should be filed against Fatih Municipality..." He is challenging. He is not taking the Fatih Mayor with these, with these identified crimes. Let him not take him anyway. If he invited him, he would go. He is not asking these, he is not opening an investigation. Suppose the Fatih Municipality was ours. What would it be now? Would everyone who advertises there, the company, the mayor, all the bureaucrats be in Silivri or not? This is what I am saying: If the Fatih Mayor had an explanation for these, he would explain it one by one before the independent judiciary, but when the municipality belongs to the AK Party, there are dozens for every municipality, those who do nothing do these when it comes to the Republican People's Party. This is what I am trying to explain. Let it not be just Fatih. The Fatih Mayor said: "My dear, he is going to tell about Fatih while Bayrampaşa is there," he says. Look now. But it was actually true. I looked at what he was saying. Bayrampaşa Municipality, which was managed by the AK Party before March 2024.

A tender was opened for trainers who will provide sports training in the municipal facility in the January-June 2024 period. That is, three months before the election last year and three months after the election was over. Since the municipality is in their hands, they opened the tender without thinking they would lose. They gave it to a company for 1.4 million. You will bring training teachers here for six months. The municipality passed to us. Our friends went and walked around. There is no one in the facility. The person in charge ran away. Our people appointed a new person in charge to the facility. The person in charge looked at the tender file and said: "None of the personnel who appeared to have been working there for months within the scope of the tender have ever been seen by anyone." Even if the Bayrampaşa Municipality was in the AK Party, 1.4 million TL was paid for training that was never done. By that time, they had already paid nearly 1 million TL of the money. Upon this, upon this, an investigation was opened, it was delivered to the district governorship on September 19. No sound. The previous mayor of Bayrampaşa Municipality is walking around. Those who made the tender, those who received the tender, those who paid the money, those who received the money are walking around. Why? AK Party member. There is no exchange of a single penny. All of ours are inside. With what? With the slanders of a false witness. Then I said to our Istanbul Provincial Chairman: "Let Fatih not be alone. Let's do that place, where else shall we do?" "By God, Chairman, wherever you choose." I said: "Where do you live?" "Bahçelievler." I pulled one from there. AK Party Bahçelievler Municipality, July 2024, cleaning services tender. All companies enter the tender for cleaning. There is a cleaning vehicle. He thinks about the driver, he thinks about the fuel, he does this, he does that. Everyone makes an offer.

"IS THIS JUSTICE?"

One of them takes the tender for 565 million. Other companies say "We lost" and withdraw. Later, it is seen that another tender is opened. The tender for hiring drivers for this company's cars. The previous ones had also calculated the driver and put a high price. This one put a low one. It says there is no driver in it. They open a new tender and this time they put 278 million for driver money. This company also takes this. It goes up to 843 million. When they see this, they say: "There are two tenders. A single tender should have been made. The driver and the vehicle should have been provided by the same firm. Such a privilege should not have been given to this firm," they say, and because of this, because of this, no action is taken against Bahçelievler Municipality. Who is the company? The company is Bilginay Cleaning. Rıza Akpolat has been inside for 130 days because he received a tender in the Beşiktaş Municipality. Silivri... Ahmet Özer has his second detention due to this file for 126 days because he received a tender in the Esenyurt Municipality. There is no tender that this company has not received in Turkey. Only in Bahçelievler, the tender was divided into two, due to the municipality's fault, no action is taken. Rıza Akpolat's crime is being a CHP member, he is in Silivri. The Bahçelievler Mayor's advantage is being an AK Party member, he is in the municipality, in his home in the evenings. Is this justice? When I say I will tell these, they also show a reaction. You come out and explain that these are not like this, just as I defend the righteousness of my mayors. We have no fault that will make our foreheads bow, that we cannot look into each other's eyes. You, on the other hand, do not have a single municipality to hold on to. This era will pass. Those who set up the conspiracy will also be held accountable. Those who reach out to the nation's property will also be held accountable one by one.

"1 MILLION 600 THOUSAND PEOPLE APPLIED FOR A 3 THOUSAND PERSON QUOTA"

In the past, economic crises used to be one year long. They were remembered like that. Like the 94 crisis, the 2001 crisis, the 2008 crisis. Now we are in a 7-year crisis. It will end, it will end, it doesn't end, isn't that so? The nation is fed up. They have exhausted the retiree, they have exhausted the minimum wage earner. They have also aggravated unemployment. For 7 years. When you turn the clocks back 7 years, the 2018 crisis. The name of this crisis, as the citizen is fed up, with its initials, is the "One-Man Crisis," friends. Since the day we switched to the one-man regime, the economy has been getting worse every day. This is a concrete indicator of what this one-man regime has done to the country. Just one example. The Ministry of Health has announced an announcement to hire 3170 cleaning staff. 3170. There is great unemployment in the country. How many people do you think applied? 10,000 people must have applied, 3 times more. There used to be such news. No! Could it be 100,000 people? 1 million 600 thousand unemployed have applied for 3000 cleaning staff positions, friends. 1 million 600 thousand people. The number of applicants is higher than the population of 60 provinces. And we also know something like this; actually, 3600 people will be hired. How it is clear who will be hired, maybe. But do you know who I feel sorry for? That 1 million 600 thousand people, the child got up, shaved, took a photo in these times of scarcity, paid money, got documents, filled them out, went to the bus, went to the city, made the application, mailed it. A hope! 3700 people will get in, 1 million 600 thousand people are applying for this job. The country is in this state. And Mehmet Şimşek, who looks democratic to the world, with the report he had prepared for the table..."

News Source: 12punto