TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan's testimony revealed! He disclosed his monthly income

An investigation was launched into Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) President Orhan Turan and High Advisory Council President Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras for 'publicly disseminating misleading information' and 'attempting to influence a fair trial' due to remarks they made at the association's general assembly on February 13.

ARAS TESTIFIED FOR 3 HOURS, TURAN FOR 1 HOUR

As part of the investigation, suspects Turan and Aras arrived at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan under police escort to provide their statements. Suspect Aras, who was brought to the Prosecutor's Office, testified for approximately 3 hours, while suspect Turan testified for approximately 1 hour.

TRAVEL BAN IMPOSED

Following their statements at the Prosecutor's Office, the suspects were referred to the duty magistrate's court with a request for a judicial control measure in the form of a 'travel ban' for the crime of 'publicly disseminating misleading information'. After their statements to the prosecutor, a travel ban and judicial control decision were issued for Turan and Aras by the court.

MONTHLY INCOME REVEALED

During the investigation, the decision document from the duty criminal judgeship of peace revealed the testimonies of Turan and Aras. Suspect Orhan Turan stated in his testimony that he is a mechanical engineer. Declaring that he has an average monthly income of 1 million lira, Turan stated that he owns a company in the insulation sector, conducts significant exports abroad, and will be traveling abroad in March and April.

Turan said, "We are working on artificial intelligence. We are trying to bring Turkish entrepreneurs together there. My address is known, I am a business person, and I request that the judicial control measure of a travel ban be rejected."

Suspect Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras stated that he is the chairman of a bank's board of directors. Declaring an average monthly income of 900 thousand lira, Aras stated the following in his testimony:

"The main theme of my speech is a text regarding what we need to do for the Turkish economy to advance further. I tried to express the general sensitivities of society by giving examples on the language of education and the rule of law, measures to be taken in the economy, women's rights for our country's development, the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and many economic and financial issues to clear the way for Turkey. I did not provide any information that would mislead the public in my speech. All approaches and expressions are interpretations of their effects on the economy. I made these speeches aimed at improving Turkey's investment environment."

Stating that he has frequent international travel due to being the chairman of an international bank and that they are trying to contribute to the Turkish economy, Aras requested that the travel ban not be applied to him.

"THEY MADE STATEMENTS ON SUBJECTS THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF"

In the decision document of the duty criminal judgeship of peace, it was stated that, "As indicated in the content of the speeches made by the suspects and in their defenses, they made statements containing disinformation contrary to the truth, with suggestions and directions to the judiciary, regarding events they only had information about through the press and whose content they did not know."

The document noted that there is concrete evidence that suspects Turan and Aras committed the crime of "publicly disseminating misleading information" by spreading information contrary to the truth regarding Turkey's internal and external security, public order, and general health in a manner capable of disturbing public peace, solely for the purpose of creating anxiety, fear, or panic among the public.

The decision document stated that the request for a judicial control measure in the form of a travel ban, which the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested to be applied to the suspects, was accepted.