Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç lambasted the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for urging supporters to take to the streets after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu’s detention on Wednesday.
Responding to mass detentions in Istanbul for Imamoğlu and dozens of suspects on charges of corruption, Tunç stated Türkiye was a state of law and the judiciary was independent. “They don’t take orders from anyone,” he said. He called upon the CHP to present their defense in the courts, “not on the streets.”
Tunç told reporters at a news conference in the capital Ankara that the investigation was based on reports by a financial crimes investigation board, tax inspections, eyewitness accounts and other evidence and that the investigation was being carried out meticulously.
"Our Constitution is clear and says the judiciary is controlled by neutral, independent courts. Supremacy of law is its foundation. Everyone is equal before the laws and no one is granted privilege before the laws," he underlined.
Tunç said the investigations should not be influenced by statements made without knowledge of the content of the investigation and evidence.
"It is dangerous and wrong to attempt to distract from the nature of investigations, tagging them as a 'coup,'" he said, referring to CHP leader Özgür Özel's remarks to that extent after the mayor's detention.
