Lütfü Savaş, former mayor of the southern province of Hatay for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), filed a criminal complaint against party Chairperson Özgür Özel on charges of threat, insult and attempt to influence the judiciary.

Savaş found himself the target of Özel after he and other former members of the CHP filed a lawsuit earlier, claiming Özel’s associates bought votes for him during a November 2023 election. The next hearing of the trial, where Savaş and CHP delegates claim that they and others were offered cash and gifts to vote for Özel instead of his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in the intraparty election, will be held on Friday.

The former mayor on Wednesday sent a petition to the court tackling the case on the shady 2023 election, appealing for cancellation of the party’s upcoming election because the earlier vote was already invalid and the Özel administration is not eligible to hold another vote. In response, Özel insulted Savaş in well-publicized remarks on Wednesday and implied that the former mayor would have his day in court one day if the CHP comes to power in the future.

On Thursday, Savaş told the court through his lawyer that Özel’s remarks were an attempt against his legal rights and sought to influence the ongoing judicial process.