Journalists in Akşener's crosshairs: She points to Koray Aydın regarding the suspect in the Kaplan file

Former IYI Party Chair Meral Akşener has filed a criminal complaint against journalists Özlem Gürses and Ersin Eroğlu regarding comments made on the TELE1 program Kayıt Dışı. 

It was revealed on the May 20, 2024, episode of the Kayıt Dışı program, prepared by journalists Özlem Gürses, Ersin Eroğlu, Caner Taşpınar, and Masum Gök, that Akşener had allowed Erkan Yıldırım, a suspect in the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization case, to speak from the parliamentary podium.

Erkan Yıldırım, who is listed as a “suspect” in the Ayhan Bora Kaplan file, attended the IYI Party group meeting on October 14, 2021, and gave a speech regarding “industrialists.” Former IYI Party Chair Meral Akşener had invited him to the podium by saying, “This week, we are hosting an industrialist brother of ours on the nation's podium. Erkan Yıldırım is among us… Please, Erkan, my brother, the floor and the podium are yours.”

Here is that broadcast:

SHE POINTS TO KORAY AYDIN

Akşener, who did not deny what was discussed on the Kayıt Dışı program, pointed to Koray Aydın in her complaint petition.

According to a report by Erdem Atay on VeryansınTV, Akşener's lawyer used the following striking statements in the petition:

“The appearance of Erkan Yıldırım on the podium at the TBMM Group meeting on 14.10.2021 was realized through the request of the then-Provincial Vice Chair Gürhan Kocaman to Yetkin Öztürk, and Yetkin Öztürk's proposal to the Organization Chair Koray Aydın. Our client, who did not know or recognize Erkan Yıldırım at all until this speech, was only able to gain knowledge and ideas about the individual after information regarding the criminal organization known as the Ayhan Bora Kaplan file began to be reflected in the media starting in September 2023. In this respect, the suspects' statements such as, ‘Ms. Meral brought Erkan Yıldırım to the Tuesday group meeting as a businessman. She introduced him to Turkey,’ are untrue. This person's appearance on the podium and his speech were realized thanks to Gürhan Kocaman, Yetkin Öztürk, and Koray Aydın.”

METİN ERGUN HAD WARNED

In the complaint petition, Akşener's lawyer stated that Muğla MP Metin Ergun had said that Erkan Yıldırım had a relationship with Ayhan Bora Kaplan and had warned Koray Aydın, and continued as follows:

“The person effective in Erkan Yıldırım's speech from the podium is the then-Ankara Provincial Vice Chair Gürhan Kocaman. Metin Ergün, one of the founders of the IYI Party and a current MP, approached our client (Akşener) stating that he had received rumors that Gürhan Kocaman had a relationship with Ayhan Bora Kaplan.

Our client stated that the then-Deputy Chair in Charge of Organizations, Koray Aydın, had the authority in this matter and told Metin Ergün that he should discuss the issue with Koray Aydın.

Metin Ergün met with Koray Aydın and expressed his concerns. However, Koray Aydın, in a manner that was also reflected in the press, evaluated that ‘Gürhan Kocaman was a childhood friend of Ayhan Bora Kaplan and there were no mafia-like connections,’ and allowed him to continue his duty as Provincial Vice Chair.”