Justice Minister Akın Gürlek's '86 million' message: Can the IMM trial be broadcast live?

Minister Gürlek answered questions about the agenda on A Haber. Emphasizing that he is the minister for 86 million people, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said, "I am not the owner of this office, but its trustee; justice is the honor of the state."

Criticizing the tension during the oath-taking ceremony in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) with the words "it did not befit the national will and the institutions," Gürlek stated that his door is open to everyone regardless of party affiliation.

He did not confirm the claim that CHP's Ali Mahir Başarır shook his hand and congratulated him; he said he was not sure, adding, "It was very crowded."

Mentioning his tenure as the Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, Gürlek noted that the IMM investigation was initiated upon incoming reports and complaints.

Here are the highlights from Minister Gürlek's statements:

We will serve our nation on the path of justice. We are excited, and with our excitement, we will bring new projects. Justice is the honor of the nation. Beyond my political identity, I stand with all our citizens who are in need of justice. I am the Minister of Justice of Turkey; I am here to listen to the problems of our 86 million citizens.

INCIDENT-FILLED OATH CEREMONY IN THE TBMM

It was a very different environment for me. First, our President issued a decree. We went to our Minister, Mr. Yılmaz Tunç, and held the handover ceremony. As a matter of procedure, an oath must be taken. I first went to Bekir Bozdağ's office, and the group deputy chairmen of other parties were also there. There was a very polite atmosphere. We shook hands with everyone in the lobby. Then those events took place. I cannot know whether this was an organized act, but we are taking an oath on behalf of an institution in the supreme Turkish Parliament; the fact that these events occurred here saddened me, I was astonished. While the text was being read, things suddenly got chaotic; that is the most distinguished place in Turkey. People came towards us while we were approaching the Parliament podium. My person is not important, but the Parliament is very important here; institutions like the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior should not be undermined.

HOW DID THE IMM INVESTIGATION START?

No one can give suggestions or instructions to courts and judges. But with the acceptance of the indictment, the investigation phase was completed and the judicial phase began. As Chief Public Prosecutors, we do not look at the individuals. The status of the suspect does not concern the prosecutor. We look at whether there is a crime or not. There were reports and complaints, and in some parts, there were applications from within their own ranks. If there is reasonable suspicion, the Public Prosecutor is obliged to initiate an investigation. We also started the investigation in line with the reports and complaints received. We were already examining the 'money towers' file. There were serious allegations regarding the money towers. No one is guilty just because an investigation has started; an investigation can be initiated to reveal the truth. And this is also very important; the prosecutor is obliged to collect evidence both in favor of and against the suspect. Look, we did this in the IMM file; we separated the evidence. That is, we collect evidence both in favor of the person and against them. There were people for whom we issued a decision of non-prosecution, for whom we did not issue an arrest warrant, and whom we later released when the evidence situation changed. I want to underline this in particular. So, one should not confuse the investigation with the individuals here. I want to say it again. The titles, positions, or being a mayor of the individuals here; these do not concern us. The public prosecutor looks at whether there is suspicion that requires an investigation. There was serious evidence in the investigation we started, and this evidence later emerged as material evidence. As you know, it has finally reached the stage of opening the indictment. So, we also collected evidence in favor of the defendants within the scope of the file. We did this. If the evidence situation changed, we evaluated them in their favor as well. These need to be distinguished.

CAN THE IMM TRIAL BE BROADCAST LIVE?

With the will of the Parliament, the court can be broadcast live. Courts are not places for political shows. Political propaganda should not be made in courtrooms.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek's '86 million' message:
Can the IMM trial be broadcast live?https://t.co/e4U5FKhmxw pic.twitter.com/SqV5UVUOOS

— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) February 13, 2026

ILLEGAL BETTING AND MATCH-FIXING IN FOOTBALL

We need to get rid of this scourge of illegal betting. If there is a lack of legal regulation, we will make legal regulations. Methods are constantly changing in illegal betting. We have carried out important operations regarding match-fixing in football. We did not look at the titles of the individuals or who they were. Football needs to be clean. We have carried out very sensitive work on this issue as well. We looked at MASAK reports and HTS records. It is not a crime under our laws for a football player to place a bet. For it to be a crime, they must bet on their own match. We will go to the end of this matter; we will eradicate it. Illegal betting money needs to be brought into Turkey.

DRUG OPERATIONS

Drugs are the biggest problem of this country. Mothers and families come to me. We have taken the necessary steps regarding drugs. Hopefully, we will do our best during the Ministry of Justice term. There is a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years for those who use drugs. We will go to the end of this matter. The system works as follows in drugs. There is a person referred to as a 'dealer' (torbacı), and under the dealer, there is a person who distributes this. We reached 4 main distributors. Then you reach the baron.

News Source: 12punto