Justice Minister Tunç makes statement on constitution and grey list

Tunç made statements to reporters in Bartın, where he arrived to attend the funeral of Hasan Ayvaz, the 70-year-old father of AKP Bartın Women's Branch President Evren Ayvaz.

Stating that there are cases referred to the judiciary within the scope of investigations into money laundering and the financing of terrorism, Tunç also noted the following regarding constitutional efforts:

"Regulations were made in our laws during the previous legislative term regarding the prevention of terrorism financing and money laundering, especially for the prevention of these crimes and for a more effective fight against them. Our struggle to remove Turkey from the grey list, which it does not deserve, particularly in terms of the Financial Action Task Force, also continues.

The Ministries of Finance, Interior, and Justice are continuing their work in a coordinated manner on this issue. In this context, our judiciary is also continuing its determined fight against money laundering and the crime of terrorism financing within the framework of MASAK reports referred to the judiciary and investigations.

There is also a continued determination to ensure that matters referred to the judiciary in this regard are concluded without delay."

When asked about the new constitution efforts, Minister Tunç emphasized that Turkey needs a democratic, inclusive, and civilian constitution.

"REGULATIONS THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED REFORMS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE CONSTITUTION"

Pointing out that very important regulations that can be considered reforms have been made to the Constitution in the last 21 years, both with the 2010 constitutional amendments and the 2017 constitutional amendments, Tunç continued his words as follows:

"We have made many regulations that can be considered reforms, or silent revolutions, aimed at eliminating the tutelary spirit of our Constitution, such as ensuring judicial unity, abolishing military courts, the structure of the Constitutional Court, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, and the Supreme Military Council, making regulations in accordance with the principle of a democratic state of law, expanding the scope of fundamental rights and freedoms, protecting personal data, protecting private life, individual applications, the right to information, women's rights, children's rights, removing martial law from the Constitution, and removing the provision that coup plotters cannot be tried. Approximately 184 changes have been made with these amendments and those made in previous periods."

NEW CONSTITUTION EFFORTS

Pointing out that these numerous changes in the Constitution have also disrupted the uniformity among the articles, Tunç said, "We all see that this also leads to some problems in practice.

The most recent differences of opinion between the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court, and the disruption of this uniformity in this sense, show that we need a new constitution. But most importantly, it is a constitution made by coup plotters.

Therefore, it is a constitution that was not written in an environment of free discussion. The mere fact that it was written by coup plotters is a necessity for a new constitution. In this sense, a consensus is of course required for this in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Hopefully, this consensus will be reached. Our wish in the 28th legislative term is that all parties will reach a consensus and fulfill this debt to our nation, hopefully."