Crisis deepens in İYİ Party! Ümit Dikbayır to Akşener: 'I will apply to the prosecutor's office'

İYİ Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener's announcement that “We will enter the elections in all 81 provinces on our own” and allegations regarding money in bank accounts have triggered a wave of resignations within the party.

Akşener claimed that “her son's bank accounts were being checked unofficially” and stated, “Neither I nor my family have any business with municipalities. If it is proven, I will quit politics.”

Sakarya MP Ümit Dikbayır, who is at the center of the allegations, told Saygı Öztürk from Sözcü, “If even one of the allegations against me is proven, I will resign from my parliamentary seat.”

"SHE MUST DO WHAT IS NECESSARY"

Dikbayır evaluated the statements Akşener made at the party meeting in Istanbul the other day as follows:

“The Chairwoman changed her tone in her speech. Previously, she had said that her own bank accounts were being examined, but now she says, ‘They didn't check mine, they checked my husband's and my daughter-in-law's accounts.’ First, she said this unofficial information came from the state, but now she says, ‘This information reached me unofficially.’ She says they will ask the bank officially, and that bank officials might say ‘We don't know.’ Whose bank account was accessed can be revealed immediately through a computer investigation. By saying the investigation was done unofficially, the Chairwoman changed her story. It has turned out that all of these were gossip and slander. My expectation from the Chairwoman is that, just as she threw me in front of the public, she should now come out in front of the public and say, ‘I have been misled.’ Whoever misled her, whoever brought these slanders before her, she must do what is necessary.”

"IT WAS SAID THERE IS NO MONEY IN OUR COFFERS TO AVOID GIVING RAISES TO EMPLOYEES"

Dikbayır also responded to the allegations regarding the cash he handed over:

“At our congress held on June 26, as the person responsible for the party's financial affairs, I left 132 million liras to the incoming administration. After the parliament opened, the new administration classified the MPs according to their financial situations and asked some for 250 thousand liras, some for 500 thousand liras, and some for 1 million liras as a contribution to the party. This situation caused some MPs to ask and criticize, saying, ‘Does the party have no money, why are they asking us for money?’ There were MPs who asked me. I told them, ‘The delegates also approved our budget. We handed over the office with around 132 million liras. On January 10, 2024, parties will receive state aid. The money I left is more than enough until that date.’ When our friend who replaced me said, ‘Our coffers are at minus 16 million liras,’ they tried to imply, ‘Oh, the Chairwoman ate this money.’ They conveyed it to the Chairwoman like this. The Deputy Chairman is actually saying this, but because what he said was not fully understood… He means to say, ‘Our coffers are showing a deficit of 16 million. Actually, it shows a deficit of 16 million according to the date of January 10.’ In other words, he means the money will not be enough until that date. This is also wrong. The money I left for the party is more than enough until that date. How could the person who took over financial affairs from me not know how much money I left? Why did he say that? To avoid giving raises to employees. Can such things happen? I swear, I swear, it was said that there was no money in our coffers to avoid giving raises to employees.”

"SHE MUST COME OUT IN PUBLIC AND SAY SHE WAS MISLED"

The Chairwoman said that Deputy Chairman Sedat Aksakallı would make a statement regarding the allegations on Monday (today). Everything is clear, but the Chairwoman is being given false information. Does the meaning ‘Did the Chairwoman spend this money?’ come from my words? I will pursue this matter as much as I can. I will not let this stay on me. After our Chairwoman conducts the necessary investigations and learns that the allegations against me have nothing to do with reality, she should come out in public and say that she was misled.”

"I WILL RESIGN FROM PARLIAMENT"

Complaining about the allegations against him, Dikbayır spoke as follows:

"My forehead is clear, my face is clean. Neither I, nor my family, nor my extended family have ever had any business with municipalities, and they never will. If they prove that I did even one penny's worth of business, I will resign from my parliamentary seat. They say I opened and managed a Twitter account. Reveal it. If they explain it, they explain it; otherwise, I will go to the Public Prosecutor's Office and request that my parliamentary immunity be lifted. I will apply to the Parliament's Presidential Council. First, I applied in writing to the İYİ Party TBMM Disciplinary Board Presidency and requested that all allegations made against me to date and any subject that may come to the agenda be investigated. I will defend my rights to the end. Can gossip be made so easily?”