Former Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak made a written statement through his lawyer İsa Sinan Göktaş regarding the publicly discussed fund investigation. In the statement dated October 21, it was argued that Albayrak had no connection with the transactions subject to investigation and reacted to the statements of CHP Group Chairman Faik Öztrak and İYİ Party İzmir Deputy Ümit Özlale.
Claiming that the association of Albayrak's name with the investigation was intentional, lawyer Göktaş stated that legal proceedings will be initiated against people who use Albayrak's name in statements and news on the subject.
“IT HAS NO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FUND INVESTIGATION”
In the written statement, it was stated that the transactions subject to the fund investigation took place between 2024-2026 and reminded that Albayrak left his post in 2020.
The statement included the following statements:
"There is no direct or indirect relationship between the actions subject to the fund investigation and Mr. Berat Albayrak, and the transactions in question belong to the 2024-2026 period. Six years have passed since Mr. Berat Albayrak left his post in 2020, and during this period, three different names have assumed the position of Minister of Treasury and Finance."
It was also stated that Albayrak left active politics in 2020 and has been interested in foundation affairs since then.
REACTION TO FAİK ÖZTRAK AND ÜMİT ÖZLALE
In the statement, the evaluations made by CHP Group Chairman Faik Öztrak in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and on his social media account on October 19 were criticized.
It was stated that Öztrak used Albayrak's name together with the "128 billion dollars" discussion while bringing up the allegations regarding the fund investigation, and it was argued that there was no connection between these two issues.
The statement said, "Those who had the artificial intelligence prepare tables based on the distorted information leaked and shared them on social media are making a ridiculous matchmaking just to create a relationship pattern when there is no connection whatsoever, as if they received the instruction 'Forcibly place Berat Albayrak there too'."
While it was claimed that the statements of Faik Öztrak and Ümit Özlale did not reflect the truth, it was claimed that Albayrak's name was deliberately brought up in political discussions.
“EVERYONE WHO OBTAINS UNFAIR PROFIT SHOULD BE PUNISHED”
It was also reported that Albayrak was of the opinion that those responsible for the fund investigation should be punished.
In the statement, Albayrak's words, which he used when leaving active politics in 2020, "Horse tracks are mixed with dog tracks, it has become difficult to distinguish between right and wrong," were reminded and the following statements were made:
"Mr. Berat Albayrak, who left active politics in 2020, is of the opinion that everyone, regardless of their title, including public officials who were negligent within the scope of the fund investigation, who gained unfair profits and caused citizens to suffer should be punished in the most severe way."
IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED THAT A LAWSUIT WILL BE FILED
At the end of the statement signed by lawyer İsa Sinan Göktaş, it was stated that legal action would be taken against Albayrak's name being associated with the fund investigation.
The statement included the following statements:
"As a result, we hereby submit to the public's knowledge and discretion that we will file a lawsuit against those who use his name purposefully and maliciously in statements and news on the subject, even though Mr. Berat Albayrak has no direct or indirect connection with the allegations and actions subject to the fund investigation."
WHAT HAPPENED?
CHP Group Chairman Faik Öztrak brought up the fund investigation in his statement in the Turkish Grand National Assembly on October 19, and pointed out that Borsa Istanbul Chairman Erişah Arıcan was the thesis advisor of former Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak.
While Öztrak described Albayrak as "the former Minister of Treasury and Finance who evaporated Türkiye's 128 billion dollars through the back door of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey to win elections", he also made evaluations about Arıcan's influence in the bureaucracy.
İYİ Party İzmir Deputy Ümit Özlale brought up the transactions that he claimed were carried out by some ministers and their relatives within the scope of the fund investigation.
