While the fund scandal continues to be debated at full speed, YENİ Party Chairman Özgür Özel answered questions about the agenda during a live broadcast on Sözcü TV.
Here are the statements made by Özel:
Stating that they are insistent on the publication of a list, Özel emphasized that they do not find it appropriate to make statements without verifying the names themselves. Saying that they should meet with those arrested in the fund case and that they have formed a committee for this purpose, YENİ Party Chairman Özgür Özel stated that they are following the matter closely.
YENİ PARTY Chairman Özel spoke as follows:
Regarding the fund issue, I cannot clearly say name by name that these people are on the AK Party side and these are on the other side, but there is a high-level bureaucracy very close to Erdoğan.
There is also the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of Justice, and a team that has come from Istanbul with him, which has made it their duty to maintain a government that is essentially hostile to all of us in a ruthless and merciless manner through slander.
Alongside them, it is said that there are a significant number of people in the parliamentary group. It is said that nearly 60 deputies or their relatives are involved in these funds, either directly or through an intermediary account.
"WE WANT TO ASK QUESTIONS TO REACH THE TRUTH"
We formed a committee to visit the detainees in the fund meeting. I was on the Soma commission. You know the July 15 commission. I even served on it; you ask the most important information comfortably during the commission's meeting with the detainees in prison, and then you know the July 15 commission was working.
The AK Party members strongly opposed the idea of meeting with the detainees, and the commission did not carry out that matter. They did not want certain questions to be asked or answered.
I also know how effective prison conditions and certain interviews in prison, as well as the answers given to certain questions, are in reaching the truth.
We want to go there and ask questions to reach the truth.
For example, to be frank, I find it correct that Ümit Özlale announced the name of Mahinur Hanım's father. The name and surname are correct, even the ID number is correct, but the Turkish ID number belongs to someone else. He is an AK Party member from Bartın. They are trying to turn the fund scandal into an opportunity. If a politician has clear information, it is impossible for them to hide it due to political ethics. I mean, just as a journalist would not be doing their job if they did not evaluate intelligence that is in the public interest, we would be part of the crime if we watched as politicians.
The list of 80-85 people is with all of you, with you, with everyone, but who was this list? It was sent by the Ministry of Justice sources, or rather, let me not say it incorrectly, as it would not be right to blame the entire Ministry of Justice; there was a press spokesperson who was dismissed, and he used a pseudonym, and so many lists and names were sent here and there by him that you cannot be sure of the accuracy of the list that arrived. Now, it was correct to give the name of Mahinur Hanım's father, it turned out to be wrong, and what did we see? The AK Party has the list and they even know their Turkish ID numbers.
THEY WILL DO MUCH LESS AT THE END OF DECEMBER
Giving inflation adjustments, welfare shares, or something like that is a move aimed at dampening the reaction created by this fund crisis. If I know Erdoğan, if he can dampen this reaction a little bit, he will do much less at the end of December than he feels now, thinking the reaction has died down anyway.
Secondly, when Erdoğan came to power, the lowest pension could buy 8 quarter gold coins; I remind all retirees once again, now it cannot even buy two quarter gold coins. When Erdoğan came to power, the lowest pension was one and a half times the minimum wage, and the minimum wage could buy 7 quarter gold coins. Retirees will have the biggest reckoning at the ballot box.
ÖZEL'S ASSESSMENT OF SARIGÜL
He told me that he was subjected to a major setup and a great injustice. He talked about his ex-wife, from whom he separated years ago, and his children being inside. He described these as a great slander in a dramatic way, unable to hold back his tears. I truly saw the difficult situation he was in. Did I find him right? We cannot say anything without hearing the right, the wrong, or the truth, or seeing the actual statements.
He applied to our party and said, 'Suspend my membership.' There is no such thing as suspending membership in political parties; it is evaluated as a resignation. We notified the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation about this request today, and his membership has ended. He has no connection with our party, but when the confidentiality in that investigation is lifted and the facts emerge, something can be said fundamentally.
If the grave allegations turn out to be true, we cannot defend Sarıgül either, and even those who love him most cannot defend him. Look, it is very clear, but taking official action based on documents that have confidentiality orders but are leaked to the press, if we were to expel Mr. Sarıgül from the party, this would have no legal basis, so requesting his own resignation or asking him to relieve his party and himself during this process is the correct method.
ERDOĞAN WANTS TO GET RID OF THE YENİ PARTY
The CHP listed what was promised: basically making Erdoğan a candidate again, putting us in jail, lifting the immunities of all YENİ Party members, and I have 63 summaries of proceedings; if not one, something will come out of another. They have the opportunity to put all our deputies or a significant number of them in prison with an arrest warrant for any of them, just as they did to the DEM Party at that time.
Regarding the Sarıgül issue, especially if these grave allegations turn out to be true, think about the consent it will create in society, think about the issue, and with the immunity issue that can be created through the subject, if a genie came out of Aladdin's magic lamp, what would Tayyip Erdoğan want? He would want to get rid of the YENİ Party.
CHP SAYS IT WILL VOTE YES EVEN IF IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
360 votes are needed, and besides, I mean, we will discuss that separately, but we think that something like moving the election forward from today is not constitutionally possible. AK Party 281, MHP 46, well, with something else from here or there, let's say 330. The İYİ Party does not have that many deputies, I am looking at them as groups, their group does not have it. I said, 'I am absolutely not there.' Either they made a deal with DEM or with CHP. The DEM Party said, 'We have no such thing, absolutely not. It is not on our agenda.' Then the person who was appointed to head the party said, 'Even if it is for a week, an early election is an early election, we will vote for it.' He also said, 'We will vote for the Mecca agreement,' 'We will vote for the constitutional amendment,' 'I will support the lifting of immunities.' This means this: in the controversial immunity process that caused Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, and many politicians to go to prison en masse, it is unconstitutional, but I will vote yes.
LET THEM TELL US THE DATE, LET'S SEE
The issue of moving it forward by a few months within 2028 is completely bypassing the Constitution. Moving elections forward, even if it is moved forward by a week, is not an early election. Therefore, there is already a constitutional situation there. Other than that, opposition parties do not run away from early elections if the ruling party is willing to hold an early election. There is no such thing as 'we will say yes' to any date in 2027. We are closed to 2028; if they are telling a date for an election in 2027, we think it cannot be in 2026 because winter has come. The earlier the date, the more favorably we look at it; let them tell us the date, let's see.
SUCH STRANGE THINGS
Those who entered the tender were not enough, they are calling those who did not enter the tender. 'Friend, there was an asphalt tender here, you enter asphalt tenders for public institutions, you didn't enter this one. Look, we will seize your property and assets, tell the truth, did you receive a suggestion from the mayor or the deputy mayor saying, 'Don't enter this tender'? You don't even need to give money for this. You don't need proof of money either, because I am pressuring you, since you were going to enter to win the tender. Where is the money, I gave it to someone, I forgot where I gave it, I didn't see it, I withdrew it from here and gave it. Such strange, strange things. If a mayor is to be accused, you must first find the evidence of the crime, then accuse them. They find the person they have targeted and try to produce evidence for them, and the evidence they produce is always statements forcibly given by contractors who do business with the municipality.
IT IS A PITY THAT HE PUT HIM AT THE TOP OF THE LIST IN IZMIR
It is clear that we could not sufficiently appease the anger of İzmir. On the day we got 18% in Manisa, we were getting 60% in İzmir. Can you get 48% in İzmir while getting 60% in Manisa? We have a collective mistake. None of us should set ourselves aside. I mean, put me as the chairman at the top of the list in İzmir, put the Secretary General at the top of the list. There was no room left in Istanbul, it is a pity that he put him at the top of the list in İzmir. It is also a pity for İzmir, narrowing the political space in İzmir, not knowing İzmir, seeing it as a sure thing, these mistakes are not the mistake of one person. We put 5 candidates in a poll, and as a result of that poll, Cemil Tugay came out ahead, albeit by a small margin. We nominated Cemil Tugay. I wish my hand had been broken and I hadn't nominated him.
NOW SUPPOSEDLY TAYYİP BEY WON IZMIR
I know why Cemil Tugay switched to the AK Party. There are a few files. They have linked one of these to a file about Halk TV, and they have linked him to the file of a valuable bureaucrat brother of ours who is inside. They called and showed him, saying, 'Either you join the AK Party or you will be thrown inside.' What Tayyip Erdoğan cannot digest is this; he used to say in the past, 'Hey CHP, you cannot go east of Samsun.' We won all 9 out of 9 provinces in the Aegean. We had a situation where Erdoğan 'You cannot go to the Aegean.' Now supposedly Tayyip Bey won İzmir. That is why they did everything to transfer Cemil Tugay. We even know his file, and there will be no statute of limitations for those things.
Our friends currently have a general opinion that our vote is slightly above or slightly below 30, but there are friends who say that the YENİ Party has come to the fore with the great earthquake that emerged after this fund scandal and the sharp decline in the AK Party.
'I AGREE WITH THE CRITICISMS'
I agree with the criticisms directed at the YENİ Party from time to time. For example, the red card incident. We went to Mersin, we said we would pull a red card on the government at a meeting where retirees were also present. The Mersin press surrounded us, they held the microphone like this, they surrounded us. Friends, I said, 'Our statement is at 2:30. Let me not say anything now, we will make an important start together at 2:30,' I said. On social media, Özgür Özel 'What will he start, what will happen?' It grew so much that even if you didn't say anything, if you distributed the cards to the retirees, if you brought the card out at the rally, nothing would happen. Oh, people were so angry, saying, 'Look at the red card Özgür Özel talked about, it turned out to be nothing.' Sometimes it happens, sometimes the amateurishness of every job is difficult. Politics is a job, it can happen, for example, the black ribbon issue of our friends is an action that has been done 1000 times in parliament on normal days. But it coincided with a day when the tension was so bad and the mood was so down.
'I HAVE NO DOUBT ABOUT MANSUR PRESIDENT'
Mansur President had met with Murat Kurum before going to the President. After going to the President, he said, 'Work with Murat Kurum.' He went to the President for Ankara's major projects and asked for his support, and he turned to the minister and said, 'Work.' In the end, these meetings will be held. We have no reservations about Mansur President. What should he do, meet in secret? He announces that he will meet, and immediately a lynching. I understand people, they approach everything with suspicion, but I have no doubts about Mansur President.
'YAVAŞ IS STILL A CANDIDATE NOMINEE'
On my behalf, Mansur Yavaş is still a candidate nominee for the presidency. He is an important option for Turkey. I will not say anything on his behalf, but I agree with his approach. Let's go to the day our candidate was announced. If we had said, 'Our candidate is Mansur Yavaş,' Turkey would be in a completely different place right now. If we had said Ekrem İmamoğlu that day, Turkey would be in a completely different place today. What did Mansur Bey do until he reached 60% against Erdoğan? He did municipal work. He says; 'I am a mayoral candidate. I am at the head of my duty and I will not talk about this until the day comes.' This is a situation that should be met with great respect. Mansur Yavaş is an option for Turkey that no one can neglect.
CONDITIONAL İMAMOĞLU CANDIDACY STATEMENT
Our candidate right now is Ekrem İmamoğlu. I have a vote, and Mansur President has a vote. But they canceled Ekrem President's diploma. There is no penalty other than the diploma cancellation, and that is at the Council of State. If the diploma case returns from the Council of State, our candidate is Ekrem İmamoğlu. But if Ekrem President cannot be a candidate, it is not as a backup for Ekrem President. It is not right to make anyone someone else's candidate. But it is an option that will be evaluated when that day comes.
'THEY ARE BRINGING IT UP TO SOW DISCORD'
They are bringing up the issue of my candidacy to sow discord. On social media, in places you wouldn't expect, 'Özgür Özel met with his staff.' Fear God. Veli Ağbaba is in Malatya with his corset on his waist. The day they said it, Ali Mahir Başarır was here, we had our fund meeting. There was an operation in Istanbul, we said, 'Let Ali Mahir stay there.' The day they said 'He met with his staff,' Veli Ağbaba was in Malatya, Ali Mahir Başarır was in Istanbul, and I am here (Ankara). There is no such thing as gathering his staff. There is something I have decided; 'To continue the struggle.'
'ÖZGÜR ÖZEL IS NOT AMONG MY OPTIONS'
The name 'Özgür Özel' is not among my options in the process of determining the right candidate. I saw with what ambition someone who puts themselves among the options darkens Turkey's future. I have a responsibility there too. I was the last one to accept, but in the end, I accepted too. I also have a mistake. But that narrow circle around him, saying, 'You be it, you be it. A candidate who is not there cannot be measured. Look, they measured you at 60,' while there were two candidates who could win, I do not want to repeat the mistake of the one who pushed Turkey into darkness. That is why 'Özgür Özel' is not among my options.
News Source: 12punto
