Judiciary to oversee main opposition’s internal conflict
by Nurbanu Kızıl
ISTANBULJan 03, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Nurbanu Kızıl
Jan 03, 2015 12:00 am
Judicial authorities stepped in the internal dispute in the main opposition CHP when the current mayor of Istanbul’s Şişli district, İnönü, was allegedly threatened by former Şişli mayor Sarıgül to force him to resign from his post
The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which has seen several dissidents removed or forced to resign in recent months, has now been rocked by allegations of threats made by former Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül against the current mayor, Hayri İnönü, and his wife Nazlı. The Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office launched a probe on its own to investigate claims made by Nazlı İnönü, who, in an interview published on Dec. 18, accused Sarıgül of threatening her family with a mafia hit if her husband did not resign as the mayor. With Sarıgül being investigated for such serious allegations, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has no challengers left in sight.
Mr. and Mrs. İnönü were called in by the prosecutor on Wednesday to give testimony about the incident.
According to Hayri İnönü, Sarıgül and his son, who served as the deputy mayor of Şişli prior to the crisis, threatened him. İnönü claimed Sarıgül said when the two met on Nov. 5that nobody will be able to find their corpses or bones . The meeting was arranged by CHP Deputy Aydın Ayaydın, who failed to show up.
"You cost me an arm and a leg," Sarıgül allegedly said, according to İnönü, adding that he hired a mafia team in New York for $750,000 to destroy İnönü and his family. İnönü indicated that Sarıgül had shown him the address of his children's Detroit-based business, which led him to believe that Sarıgül was closely watching him and his family. Sarıgül then ordered İnönü to write a resignation letter and sign it, according to İnönü, who asked to resign after Dec. 27, following his son's wedding, which was accepted by Sarıgül.
Referring to İhsan Özkeş, the CHP Istanbul deputy who served as a mediator in the conflict, İnönü saidthat he burned the resignation letter when the latter submitted it.
In response to the allegations, Mustafa Sarıgül, who was the mayor of Şişli from 1999 to 2014, said that they are unfounded and denied being involved in such threats. He said that his lawyer has taken the necessary legal action about the aforementioned interview to protect Sarıgül's rights. "I will not be silent over defamation accusations and will give the necessary response before the law," Sarıgül said, and claimed the İnönüs were trying to launch an attrition campaign against him.
"Since the day I rejoined the CHP, some circles within the party have launched a campaign against me," he said, adding that he has worked with Hayri İnönü for five years and never had any problems with him. Sarıgül expressed his dismay about the incident and said it was unacceptable to be unfairly attacked by fellow members of his own party.
Mustafa Sarıgül's son Emir Sarıgül, who served as the deputy mayor of Şişli before the crisis erupted, resigned in December. The resignation came following a shuffle in the municipal administration by Hayri İnönü, which removed Sarıgül's administrative powers.
Uğur Erhan Dinçer, a lawyer from Ankara, was assigned to Emir Sarıgül's position on Friday. His scope of authority reportedly includes the prerogative to refer incidents to the commission, the municipal police, financial services, foreign affairs directorate, cultural and social affairs directorate, social aid directorate and more.
The conflict in the Şişli municipality erupted when Emir Sarıgül moved the municipal headquarters to a building in the Okmeydanı district. Hayri İnönü claimed he was denied entry to the new headquarters, which was interpreted by many as a coup in Şişli by Mustafa Sarıgül to take over.
CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had assigned Istanbul Deputy İhsan Özkeş to act as a mediator to resolve the issue in Şişli but the attempts failed. The issue was also discussed at party meetings and Hayri İnönü was accused of being incompetent to rule Şişli by some members.
Party dissidents claim Kılıçdaroğlu is attempting to eliminate all opponents who may potentially pose a risk to his position and establish unquestioned authority over the party. Mustafa Sarıgül, who ran as the CHP candidate for Istanbul mayor in the March 30 local elections, was considered one of Kılıçdaroğlu's opponents. The party was shaken when Deputy Emine Ülker Tarhan resigned from the party due to double standards and weak and erroneous policies. Her resignation was followed by Süheyl Batum's dismissal from the party after he was referred to the disciplinary committee. Batum was a staunch supporter of Tarhan and claimed many members in the party have suffered and consider resigning.
İzmir Deputy Birgül Ayman Güler also faced disciplinary action for criticizing the party for cooperating with the Gülen Movement in the March 30 local elections and the Aug. 10 presidential election. Şahin Mengü, another member of the CHP, has also been referred to the disciplinary committee due to his criticism of CHP Vice President Sezgin Tanrıkulu's comments on the Dersim Massacre, which resulted in the killing of over 10,000 people who rebelled against Turkey's Resettlement Law of 1934.
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