Özlale asked Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) about certain allegations regarding the 'fund crisis,' questioning whether a minister's father had invested 470 million liras and withdrawn 830 million liras from the fund, and whether his Chief of Staff Fatih Kılınç had money in the closed fund.
Yılmaz, regarding the allegations raised by Özlale, stated that his chief of staff Fatih Kılınç had suffered a major loss in the fund where he had invested 7 million liras, responding, "If everyone who invests is guilty, let's send them all to court at once. That is not how things work."
YENİ Party's Özlale also asked whether Cevdet Yılmaz's Chief of Staff Fatih Kılınç had money in the closed fund. Following Özlale's speech, Deputy Speaker Adan gave Yılmaz the right to speak due to a verbal provocation.
"HE HAS SUFFERED A VERY SERIOUS LOSS"
Cevdet Yılmaz stated that following the developments in question, Fatih Kılınç came to him and said, "I and some of my friends pooled some money together and invested in this fund: 7 million liras. We are currently experiencing a major loss."
Stating that Fatih Kılınç was one of the 455 thousand 758 investors, Yılmaz remarked, "Other than that, if there is any unlawful transaction, if there is any legal issue in any way, I will hold them accountable before you do. But if you see all these investors, 455 thousand 758 people, as potential criminals, if you look at it with such a mentality, please take all the information and documents you have to the courts, take them to court. If there was any manipulation, if there was any speculation, his situation is clear, and the money he invested has suffered a very serious loss."
"IS A CHIEF OF STAFF, A BUREAUCRAT, GUILTY FOR INVESTING MONEY IN THESE FUNDS?"
Saying that he found it "inappropriate" for Ümit Özlale to make these statements from the General Assembly podium, Yılmaz said, "This was an approach that I cannot explain in any way with justice or fairness. If he had come and asked, I would have expressed to him what I am saying here. If everyone who invests is guilty, then let's send them all to court at once. That is not how things work. Do you think a chief of staff or any bureaucrat is guilty for investing money in these funds or the stock market?" Regarding the allegations raised by Özlale, Yılmaz spoke as follows:
"No legal issue has been reported to me. No information has been reported to me that he engaged in manipulation, speculation, or acted in a different way. Do you know what the result of this would be? No one would go and invest in this stock market. No one would go to the capital markets. You would direct everyone to banks, to foreign currency, to gold, and you would harm the economy. People should invest here, but they should do so within the law. They should not speculate, they should not manipulate. It is a shame and a sin to portray investment here as a crime, as if it were an illegal transaction. Then you should direct people to banks. Will you direct them to gold or foreign currency? We should all support the capital markets."
YENİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır said regarding the allegations, "Now the Vice President said: 'They pooled 7 million liras among themselves.' In this country, the minimum wage is 28 thousand liras, the lowest pension is 23 thousand liras, let me say this first. 7 million... My dear, what is 7 million, 7 million? Look, there is no justifiable side to this fund issue. It is a disgrace in every aspect. It is a disgrace for your advisor to invest money here and lose it, sir. Do not defend this at all."
Meanwhile, YENİ Party Istanbul Deputy Yunus Emre also addressed Cevdet Yılmaz from the General Assembly benches, calling out, "Did you check the asset declaration? Mr. Vice President, did you check your chief of staff? Did you check the asset declaration there? In which provinces did you declare it? From whom did he collect that money? Can such a thing happen?"
ÖZLALE: THERE IS NO ACCUSATION
Following Yılmaz's speech, Ümit Özlale took the podium, emphasizing that he was not casting suspicion on anyone. Reiterating his question about whether Fatih Kılınç had an account in the closed fund, Özlale said, "There is no accusation in this. I think you showed unnecessary sensitivity." Underlining that his other questions were "more valuable," Özlale reiterated his questions with the following statements:
"Did the father of a current minister invest 470 million in these funds and withdraw 830 million? Did another minister leave the fund with 170 million liras before this fund crisis broke out? I am not just casting suspicion on you. We worked together in the past, in my pre-politics period. I asked you 3 very fundamental questions in front of the deputies watching us from the parliamentary podium and our people. There is no accusation. Did a minister's father put in 470 million and take out 830 million? Did a current minister also leave with 170 million liras? Did your chief of staff also have money in the Pusula closed fund? I am not making any accusations. I am asking you 3 questions for you to investigate."
News Source: 12punto
