Özgür Özel's response to Yılmaz Tunç on 'pirate report': That report is not the Justice Minister's property, it is the guarantee of the nation's quest for justice

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made statements in İzmir.

Özel spoke about the preliminary expert report he shared regarding the fire tragedy at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu, where 78 citizens lost their lives.

Responding to Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who called the report in question a "pirate report," Özel said, "The Justice Minister called this report a pirate report. What does it mean to call a report a pirate report? He is not saying it is fake or untrue. How can something be a pirate? It would have to be a report written by unauthorized people. The authorization letter exists on the first page of the investigation file with the names and wet signatures of the experts. This means the committee is not a pirate committee, and the report is not a pirate report... What is he calling a pirate when he says 'pirate report'? He is referring to the method of acquisition..."

"THAT REPORT IS THE GUARANTEE OF THE NATION'S QUEST FOR JUSTICE"

Reacting to Minister Tunç, Özel stated, "If something is seized by force without the owner's consent, it is called a pirate activity. So the report is real, but the method of acquisition is piracy. That report is not the Justice Minister's property; it is the guarantee of the nation's quest for justice. Our making that report public is due to their refusal to accept the report and their statement that they would appoint a new committee. What we are doing is defending justice in the pursuit of justice."

Highlights from Özel's statements are as follows:

"Next week, we will propose the establishment of an inquiry commission in Parliament.

It is also established by the expert's preliminary report that the responsibility does not lie with the Bolu Municipality. Parliament must work on the entire distribution of authority and the points of failure to ensure these tragedies do not happen again.

In a TV program last night, the minister blamed everyone except himself. The ministries he blamed, the provincial administration, i.e., the Bolu Governorship, and the Bolu Municipality, which has nothing to do with it, were all blamed just to save himself...

Such complexities do not exist in democracies. We are calling on all political parties to ensure this does not happen again.

There was an interference with justice. In response, we took the initiative and did what was necessary. A 7-member committee was appointed, and a report was prepared by this committee. 4 prosecutors and 7 experts finalized the report; according to the summary in the report, the provincial administration and the ministry are among those responsible, and it does not see the Bolu Municipality as responsible.

They do not accept this report as it is. They say, 'Change this, include the municipality, remove the ministry.'

Pressure is coming from the ministry to the experts. As soon as I heard this, I called Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.

I conveyed all the information I had regarding the process to him as well. I did this the moment they refused to accept this report and even told this committee to withdraw and that another committee would come. I also shared the committee's report with the public.

The Justice Minister called this report a pirate report. What does it mean to call a report a pirate report? He is not saying it is fake or untrue. How can something be a pirate? It would have to be a report written by unauthorized people. The authorization letter exists on the first page of the investigation file with the names and wet signatures of the experts.

This means the committee is not a pirate committee, and the report is not a pirate report... What is he calling a pirate when he says 'pirate report'? He is referring to the method of acquisition...

If something is seized by force without the owner's consent, it is called a pirate activity. So the report is real, but the method of acquisition is piracy. That report is not the Justice Minister's property; it is the guarantee of the nation's quest for justice.

Our making that report public is due to their refusal to accept the report and their statement that they would appoint a new committee. What we are doing is defending justice in the pursuit of justice.

In fact, we prevented a pirate activity against the truth.

After these interventions, the narrative changed. They made additions to the committee.

It is impossible to accept the removal of even one of the findings in that report. There is nothing the new committee can do regarding the new additions or yesterday's 'Save the ministry, involve the municipality' issue.

We expect the people in the newly appointed committee to feel the weight of the great responsibility they have toward the 78 lives lost and their families.

I expect the people newly added to the committee not to become tools for someone's political operation on justice. I expect them to protect their professional honor in a way that will not leave a black mark on history, and we are following this process carefully.

Yesterday, along with that report, TRT reported live from in front of the hotel that the preliminary investigation report was completed and those in custody were referred to the courthouse. Because that is the information given to TRT.

But when that report arrived, they suddenly changed the situation, and as for the other detainees, some were arrested, some were released... But they extended the process for the deputy mayor and the fire chief. They are waiting for today.

They have no responsibility according to yesterday's report.

We are also carefully watching what is being attempted. We are on the side that says justice must be served and the guilty must be punished. But when there is interference with justice, we stand against this interference. Otherwise, we had been waiting carefully and hopefully for the expert committee's work for days.

When I first called the Justice Minister to ask if he was aware of this work being done by the Ministry of Justice and he did not answer the phone, I said, 'This is too much.' I said he would surely return the call within a certain time. But instead of answering the phone, the minister was busy writing a statement calling the report a pirate report.

Ultimately, while some people in the state are doing something, they should know that we know what is being done. Today's attitudes and statements must be accountable before history.

News Source: 12punto