Was it that statement that caused Erdoğan to cross out Binali Yıldırım?: A 25 million dollar irregularity...

The fact that AKP President Erdoğan crossed out the name of Binali Yıldırım, known as the 'number 2' in the 75-member Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), has sparked controversy. A new allegation has emerged regarding Yıldırım, whose name was recently 'crossed out'.

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Was it that statement that caused Erdoğan to cross out Binali Yıldırım?: A 25 million dollar irregularity...

The fact that the name of Binali Yıldırım, who was crossed out in the AKP Central Executive Board (MYK), was mentioned in the testimonies of former Wealth Fund President Mehmet Bostan—who was arrested on charges of causing financial loss to the state by brokering a 25 million dollar irregular commission—and Bülent Göktuna, the boss of the investment consultancy firm Mineks, caused Yıldırım to fall out of favor with AKP President Erdoğan.

According to a report by Seyhan Avşar from Halk TV; former Wealth Fund President Mehmet Bostan and Bülent Göktuna, the boss of the investment consultancy firm Mineks, were arrested on charges of causing financial loss to the state by brokering a 25 million dollar irregular commission. It was known that President Erdoğan himself had given the order for this operation. The arrest of Bostan was undoubtedly a very important event that would dominate Turkey's agenda. However, some of the statements made by Bostan and the suspects in the investigation were even more significant than his arrest, because the person mentioned in the testimonies was Binali Yıldırım, whom we call the 'number 2'.

'YILDIRIM' DETAIL IN TESTIMONIES

Mehmet Bostan stated that he started working with a group upon the instructions of Binali Yıldırım, saying, "I first learned the name Bülent Göktuna from Salih Orakçı, to whom Binali Bey directed me. I have never met with this man outside of work, nor have I had any money transactions with him."

Businessperson Bülent Göktuna, a suspect in the investigation, said in his testimony, "The consortium aimed to bring 75 billion dollars to Turkey in the contract it made. A 25 million dollar commission is a very small figure for such a contract. Banks give much more. Deutsche Bank prepared 4 billion dollars for us. The firms' reports were not ready. I met with Binali Bey. He said to me, 'It is difficult to solve this business with the Wealth Fund, talk to Ziraat Bank.' We had dinner with financial institutions together with Binali Bey. Binali Bey congratulated us. We said we would issue a 35-year maturity coupon bond with interest rates of 3-3.25 percent. We raised 15 billion dollars in funds that day. This fund did not arrive because the Wealth Fund could not fulfill its obligations. It is clear where every penny of the money was paid. 25 million dollars came to our company, and 29 million dollars went out. In other words, we are at a 4 million dollar loss."

IS BİNALİ YILDIRIM A SUSPECT?

Following these testimonies taken by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it became a matter of curiosity whether Binali Yıldırım would be a suspect in the Wealth Fund file. Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sources stated that Yıldırım is not a suspect. However, it was alleged that after this process, President Erdoğan was very angry with Binali Yıldırım and asked him to resign from his post as AKP Deputy Chairman. In fact, in the first week of July, that is, immediately after Bostan's arrest, Yıldırım suffered a heart attack. Sources close to Yıldırım stated that he had the attack because he was saddened by these events. In other words, the crossing out of Yıldırım's name was not a surprise in the AKP.

SOYLU ALSO BURNED THE OTHER COMMISSION CHAIRS

On the other hand, an important development in the MKYK concerns former Minister Süleyman Soylu. According to what is reflected in AKP backstage, President Erdoğan did not give duties in the MKYK to other commission chairs just so he would not have to give a duty in the MKYK to Soylu, who is currently the Chairman of the TBMM Interior Affairs Commission.

News Source: 12punto