New statement from Kılıçdaroğlu's lawyer: 'He doesn't even tell me'

The lawsuit filed to annul the 38th Ordinary Congress, where Özgür Özel was elected chairman of the CHP, and the 21st Extraordinary Congress was heard today at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance.

Announcing its interim decision, the court rejected the request to remove CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, as well as PM and MYK members, from office as a precautionary measure, and adjourned the next hearing to October 24.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who was at home while the congress lawsuit was being heard, went to his office with his lawyer Celal Çelik following the decision.

While Kılıçdaroğlu's silence regarding the events has caused reactions within the party, his lawyer Celal Çelik made statements on the subject.

Speaking to Saygı Öztürk from Sözcü, Celal Çelik stated that they have acted sensitively, noting that he did not even go to the Dışkapı Courthouse, where the congress lawsuit was heard, 'so that there would be no talk or gossip.'

Çelik's statements are as follows:

"The congress investigation did not start because of us. It started due to an argument between CHP Bursa Provincial Chairman Nihat Yeşiltaş and another party member. A complaint petition was submitted to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The prosecutor's office initiated that investigation. Later, citing that the authorized location for the investigation was Ankara, they sent the file to Ankara. When the file arrived, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office continued that investigation.

When the investigation regarding the congress was reflected in the press, individuals including Hatip Karaaslan, former Hatay Metropolitan Mayor Lütfü Savaş, and some congress delegates filed a lawsuit at the Ankara Courthouse. They said, 'We learned that the Congress was suspicious. Therefore, we do not accept this.' They submitted petitions meaning they were filing a lawsuit. Is it their right to file a lawsuit? It is a right; they can file a lawsuit.

As Kılıçdaroğlu and his lawyer, I have persistently stayed away from both the investigation and the lawsuit. I did not even step inside the door of the courthouse in the Dışkapı district where that lawsuit was held. The reason is so that there would be no talk, no gossip, and no misunderstandings. We acted that sensitively.

Can Kılıçdaroğlu comment on a case in which he is not a party? Can he say anything? What will he say? When the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office called him for the investigation, his answer was, ‘I have no knowledge or observation of this.’ And that is the truth. Chairmen arrive late to the congress, make the opening speech, and then leave. They come to cast their vote and leave again. Now, he has no possibility of seeing the meetings there, or any relationships if they exist. Such things are not done in the presence of the chairman anyway.

The chairman has no interest, knowledge, or observation regarding that matter. There may be rumors. Everyone heard something. That is a separate issue. But in the end, in the petition I submitted to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office under the instruction of the chairman, I said this:

‘Our chairman has no knowledge or observation regarding these allegations. Therefore, since there is no information he can express, he will not testify.’ Now, despite this reality, and even though it is known, unfortunately, there used to be the ‘pool media.’ Now, ‘a segment of the media’ has started an attack on the chairman. I mean, why is Kemal Bey, who stays away from everything, being attacked? He is not making statements, he does not want to discuss these issues with anyone. He does not even express his thoughts to me as his lawyer. That is the situation.”