Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç on Thursday accused Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) of fabricating allegations to discredit ongoing corruption probes targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and other CHP-run administrations.
Responding to claims by CHP Chair Özgür Özel that former Justice and Development Party (AK Party) official and lawyer Mücahit Birinci coerced an imprisoned businessperson into signing a false confession for $2 million (TL 80 million), Tunç said the accusations were baseless and part of a broader campaign to attack the judiciary.
“CHP headquarters has become a fabrication center for lies,” Tunç said during a televised interview. “The Public Prosecutor is obligated by law to investigate upon receiving a tip. While the crimes are evident, corruption still persists in some municipalities. These investigations were not initiated by the AK Party, but by the CHP’s own associates.”
Özel alleged at a news conference that a group he called the “AK Toroslar gang” pressured businessperson Murat Kapki, a suspect in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality investigation. Özel claimed Birinci visited Kapki in prison on July 31 and offered him release in exchange for signing a prepared statement and paying $2 million.
Birinci rejected the accusations on social media, calling them “nonsense” and warning Özel that “nothing will ever be the same again.”
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had launched an ex officio investigation into the alleged prison meeting, stating that developments would be disclosed as necessary.
Tunç said the CHP’s rhetoric aimed to politicize judicial proceedings and preemptively undermine corruption trials.
“Once the trial begins, the white sheep and the black sheep will be revealed,” he said. “Türkiye is a state of law, with a judicial system that holds corruption and terrorism accountable.”
The minister also criticized Özel for failing to deliver promised evidence to the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK).
“A week passed and no documents or information were submitted,” Tunç said. “He says he has evidence, but when the truth comes out, the liar’s candle burns only until the night prayer.”
The corruption probe into Istanbul’s municipality is part of a widening investigation into CHP-run local governments, with prosecutors citing alleged bribery, tender rigging and links to organized crime.
