CHP's Emir refutes AKP's Usta's '110 billion lira public loss' claim: Do not make baseless accusations

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) General Assembly, convened under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Celal Adan, discussed the 2026 budgets of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.The ministers' budget presentationsFollowing this, Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Adan gave the floor to the group deputy chairmen.CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir, recalling the debate during yesterday's budget session, said, "At one point in the debate, when Ms. Leyla Şahin Usta could not respond to our criticisms regarding Kartalkaya and felt cornered, she claimed that illegal excavation was carried out and a public loss of 110 billion liras occurred. I told her, 'Do not disappear tomorrow, we have a preparation.' Now it is time for that. Since Ms. Şahin Usta is not here, she will surely read it from the minutes. I am reading this from the IMM file as well. They said, 'There is a 560 billion lira grand robbery.' However, the 5-year budget of the IMM does not even amount to 560 billion liras. There is a claim that illegal excavation was carried out at the Cebeci Dumping Site, including this 110 billion figure. They have brought this up repeatedly here like a broken record. So, is this really unauthorized? Is it really illegal? Is there really a public loss? Well, the Minister is here. We will ask him. He will also speak here."

Showing a document dated 2021, Emir said, "There are two institutions authorized here, meaning authorized for this dumping site. One is the Ministry of Energy's MAPEG institution, and the other is the Governor's Office's mining sites department. Both are fully authorized, and they have this note, especially in 2021. They say: 'There is an electrical transformer here. This electrical transformer could collapse. For the sake of public safety and to ensure Istanbul is not plunged into darkness, excavation and dumping must be carried out there immediately.' These are state documents, Mr. Minister; explain these so that our friends are not tried while under arrest for no reason, and do not remain behind iron bars within four walls."

Showing another document from 2022, Emir noted the following in his speech:

"These are state institutions. You call it illegal, yet it says the duration should be extended, and then I have another document dated 2023. Here, it provides the coordinates and says, 'You are doing well. It is proceeding as it should,' and it also provides the coordinates here and your ministry extends the duration. I have a protocol in my hand. The parties to this protocol are MAPEG, which is a directorate affiliated with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. At the same time, it is ISTAH, a unit of the Governor's Office, and the relevant company. In fact, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and ISTAH even earn 10 percent revenue from this. What you call 'illegal dumping,' what you claim is '110 billion liras embezzled' and 'fortunes made from there,' is actually, look, clearly proceeding on a contract concluded between the Governor's Office, the IMM, and the company, with a 10 percent revenue share. Because of such a perception bias and such pollution, our friends were prematurely branded as thieves."

They were subjected to a trial by media and arrested. We are refuting the claim you rely on most, the one you provide the most evidence for, one by one. There is an expert. Look at Prof. Dr. Atiye Tuğrul. She wrote in 2023 and said, 'All procedures carried out here are as they should be and comply with all rules. This is approved.' We have these documents, but Mr. Minister, you must have them too. You should not remain silent."

Say these things, explain them. Let everyone hear, let your group hear, let the President hear, let Akın Gürlek hear. Make these known. Do not allow innocent people to remain in prison. Do you know that this expert named Atiye Tuğrul is also the expert for the IMM case? The person who says, 'There is a public loss here.' That same person who said in 2023 that 'everything is as it should be' is now saying in 2025 that 'there is loss and leakage here, there is a public loss.'"

The session continued with other agenda items.

The prosecutor is writing an indictment. The judges check it in two hours and put our friends in prison. And you are sitting there comfortably. If you have a conscience, speak out against this cruelty and this lawlessness. Let your consciences rise up. Now, we demand that the Minister respond to this injustice and lawlessness with documents, and at the very least, that the AKP group deputy chairmen come and apologize from now on, and refrain from making such empty accusations in the future."