'Bribery' allegations in the investigation into CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress, which is sought to be annulled: 'All the voided votes belonged to Kılıçdaroğlu'

In the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Karaaslan, who gave his statement to the prosecutor, stated that his family has been CHP members and that he has been a party delegate from İzmir for many years.

Stating that he supported Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the 38th Ordinary Congress and that he told everyone around him about this, Karaaslan noted that about 15-20 days before the congress, B.G., who served as the Secretary General at the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, sent him a message through his colleague Z.K., stating that Ekrem İmamoğlu wanted to meet with him.

Karaaslan continued his statement as follows:

"I asked the friend who brought the news, 'What does he want to meet with me about, what is the subject?' In response, Z.K. told me, 'He will talk to you about the CHP congress.' I told him that I did not want to talk about this subject. A week later, Z.K. came to me again and repeated the same offer. He said to me, 'Ekrem İmamoğlu is pressuring me.' I again did not accept the offer to meet with İmamoğlu.

About 10 days before the congress date, I came to Ankara to follow the congress affairs. I settled into a hotel in the Ulus district. The party headquarters had allocated this place to us delegates. The entire İzmir team was staying at this hotel.

M.K., who was the former CHP Mardin provincial chairman but was removed from his post by CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu because he used the allowance sent from the party headquarters to the Mardin provincial organization for his own personal interests, but who was a current congress delegate at the congress, called me on my mobile phone many times to meet at the hotel where I was staying, as I have known him for a long time. I accepted to meet with him."

Karaaslan alleged that M.K. came to the hotel where he was staying, they met privately, and that he said he would give him whatever amount of money he wanted in exchange for supporting Özgür Özel.

Claiming that if he accepted the money offer, he was offered to be taken to the hotel where Özel was staying to hold a meeting, Karaaslan said, "He persistently repeated his offer. But I did not accept. When I asked him, 'You used to support Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Why did you change your mind?', he said to me, 'These things are politics, they are about interests, and I am looking out for my own interests. You should do the same and look out for your own interests.'"

Hatip Karaaslan noted the following:

"I asked him, 'How much money will you get?' in return for these things. He told me, 'I will get 1 million liras, and there are also 6 congress delegates who are dependent on me, I will get 300 thousand liras for each of them separately. There are also delegates who get more than this.' The person who directed M.K. to Özgür Özel and acted as an intermediary is the current İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay. Furthermore, the person who organized the party delegates in İzmir to support Özel and provided money and benefits to the delegates he convinced is Cemil Tugay. I learned about this issue from M.K.'s account to me."

Explaining that it was rumored among the delegates before and after the congress that CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay distributed money to delegates to support Özel, Karaaslan said that the entire Şanlıurfa provincial organization, and some delegates from Gaziantep, Mardin, Ağrı, Konya, Niğde, Muğla, and İzmir changed their minds and supported Özel in exchange for money and some benefits.

Karaaslan stated that he heard that Ö.T., one of the İzmir delegates, who still serves as a member of the CHP Headquarters High Disciplinary Board, distributed money to delegates with bags in his hands.

He added that he heard that businessman A.I.A. from Istanbul set aside and distributed a large amount of money for this purpose through Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to support Özel at the CHP congress.

"ALL THE VOIDED VOTES BELONGED TO KILIÇDAROĞLU"

Karaaslan alleged that A.I.A. carries out cleaning, vehicle, and fuel supply works for a large portion of municipalities in Turkey and receives municipal tenders, that this person also carries out the works of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and that the main source of the money distributed at the congress was this person.

Arguing that he was in the hall during the congress and that the chairman of the council, İmamoğlu, turned the psychological superiority in favor of Özel in the hall, Karaaslan made the following statement:

"Somehow, he irregularly determined that all of the voided votes were votes cast for Kılıçdaroğlu. As far as I can see, Özgür Özel and his supporters understood from the beginning that they did not have enough delegates and that they could not win the election through normal means, so they worked together with İmamoğlu and many other people I mentioned above, who will be found upon investigation, to convince some congress delegates to change sides in exchange for money and similar benefits, and in the end, they were successful in these actions."

Claiming that Kılıçdaroğlu's chief of staff, Ş.K., was drawn to their side by a television channel owner in exchange for benefits, Karaaslan said that in return, Ş.K. reported Kılıçdaroğlu's private information to Ekrem İmamoğlu, and that he knew this information from conversations within the party.

Karaaslan alleged that the aforementioned people took Ş.K. to London about 1 month before the general elections, hosted him, and covered all his expenses.

Karaaslan added that he filed a lawsuit at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance for the annulment of the congress.

News Source: AA