Reacting to the appointment of a trustee by SDIF to Halk TV at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey General Assembly, the opposition said that an attempt was made to cover up the fund investigation. AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Akbaşoğlu said, "All the right and wrong, the guilty and the innocent, investors and speculators and manipulators will be separated from each other."
The General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly convened under the chairmanship of the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Yusuf Beyazıt. Before moving on to the agenda of the General Assembly, group deputy chairmen made evaluations about the agenda.
KAYA: TOGETHER WE WITNESS THAT ANOTHER NAIL HAS BEEN PUT IN THE COFFIN OF THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
Yeni Yol Group Deputy Chairman Bülent Kaya criticized the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV by the TMSF and said, "Tonight's dawn raid was the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV by the TMSF. Of course, we all witness that another nail has been hammered into the coffin of freedom of the press. Unfortunately, we sadly see that with each passing day in the justice mechanism in our country, investigations turn into a tool of punishment in advance, rather than being a start to reach the material reality."
Reminding that a trustee was appointed to the group of companies that included Show TV and Habertürk, and then 33 companies of this group of companies were returned, Kaya said, "If this company is really guilty, why did you end the trustee practice in 33 companies and return their management to them? No, if they are not guilty, why are you still trying to manage the media groups with the SDIF through trustees? This contradiction should be shared by the government in the public opinion."
Expressing his criticism on the use of public resources, Kaya said, "We should be able to condemn and stand against whoever is seizing public property, whoever is stealing, regardless of which government they are in, which municipality they are in, which party they belong to. Today, we are going through days when we need to make an all-out exit."
Addressing the ruling party, Kaya said, "Excuse my expression, and I am making a comparison. Do not stand by while some camels greedily eat the thorns that make their palates bleed. Because they are not the only ones rotting, it is you and us along with them, 86 million nations are rotting together."
GOOD PARTY DEPARTMENT: WHERE DID FATMA BETÜL SAYAN KAYA EARN THIS MONEY?
İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Çömez said about the fund investigation: "163 million lira, a whole ton of money. We ask: He is a former minister, a former member of parliament, and has never done anything in his life other than being a civil servant or politics. Where did you find this 163 million lira? Did you pay your taxes? How did you earn it? It took exactly 92 thousand 137 months for a retiree to get the money that Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya took in this fund robbery." Today, this retiree of ours is trying to make ends meet with 750 liras. So, where did Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya earn this money? How did your politician friend, who once could not pay the rent of his 2+1 house, earn this money? he asked.
Çömez, who made various claims regarding Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya's Özata shares, said:
"There is a decision coming from the sky in April 2025. He says, 'I didn't know about it, I decided on my own,' but there is a decision. There is a notice, there is information, there is an incentive, there is support. They tell him, 'Put in a ton of money, look, we will make you a little richer.' He and his wife receive funds from 255 liras on April 8, 2026. So what happens next? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 months later. "It goes up to 5 billion liras. Again, a decision comes from the sky. Fatma Betül says, 'Cash that money, break that fund, sell it' and they sell it, putting 2 billion 170 million liras into Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya's safe."
CHP'S SARI: WE FACE THE TRUSTEE CRISIS APPOINTED TO HALK TV
CHP Group Deputy Chairman Serkan Sarı criticized the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV and said, "Today, in the morning, we are faced with the crisis of trustees appointed to Halk TV and the court decision. We are faced with the pressure, bullying and persecution of a press organization, a press worker and a press again. We see that hundreds of press workers working there are victimized, left at the door and not even allowed in."
Referring to the fund investigation, Sarı said, "It seems that we are faced with a government that is trying to cover up this fund theft and robbery that took place with this series of operations. We do not know what point the control mechanisms have reached in this fund. Who gained in this process? Who was harmed? We want to address allegations of political connections. Unfortunately, the National Assembly is trying to cover up this issue. We will not have any of these covered up."
Touching on the reason for appointing a trustee to Halk TV, Sarı said, "It is announced that the decision was taken within the scope of the investigation carried out against the owner of the channel, Cafer Mahiroğlu, in line with the decision of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. What is included in this scope? There are allegations such as bribery, unregistered bribery in the amount of 14 million 464 thousand in connection with municipal tenders, bid rigging, money laundering. Of course, if the owner or manager of any media organization has a crime allegation, the law should be done. However, the law should be applied equally to everyone." he said.
Sarı stated that Halk TV employees should not be victimized and made the following statements:
"There are hundreds of press workers working at Halk TV. There are cameramen, lightmen, soundmen, reporters, editors and technical staff, each of whom earns a living with the sweat of their brows and tries to support their families. What is the fault of these people? The investigation carried out against the boss cannot be blamed on journalists and workers working in the news channel. Halk TV must continue broadcasting. This investigation should not be an obstacle to freedom of the press. Journalists should be able to perform their profession freely, our citizens' right to receive information should not be interrupted. Employees' right to receive information should not be interrupted. security and acquired rights must be fully protected."
DEM PARTY BASED: THIS IS A FUNDING CRISIS, THE FUNDING MARKET HAS BEEN COMING FOR EXACTLY 9 MONTHS
DEM Party Group Deputy Chairman Sezai Temelli argued that the fund crisis has been known for 9 months and said, "When we look back, this fund crisis, the fund profiteer has actually been saying 'I am coming' for 9 months. There is a determination of this within the Capital Markets Board. There was no intervention here for 9 months. Now, do you know where the indicator of why it was not intervened is actually hidden? This fund has grown and grown exponentially for 9 months. So, we are faced with a big loom."
Regarding the operation against Halk TV, Temelli said, "After all, is it a crime in the country to report on this? Because you know that there is a possibility that you will fall short of this. Now, how will we get rid of this possibility? By silencing the press. Because this is in your tradition, too. This is also in the tradition of this country. This is a tradition that is intolerant of the press."
"You cannot silence journalists in this country," said Temelli, adding, "Whenever you are helpless, whenever you are dragged into this shame, this is what you do. Silencing the press, restricting their freedom of expression, ignoring them. But the press will not be silent, the free press will not be silent."
Referring to the decision of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights regarding Osman Kavala, Temelli said:
"Where does the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court get this courage? This court violates Article 90 of the current Constitution with this decision. With this decision, this court says that it does not recognize the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. Where does it get this courage? It takes this courage from your attitude towards the rule of law. If the judiciary in this country were truly impartial and independent, if there were no judicial interventions in politics in this country, the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court would not be able to make this decision. The Supreme Court of Appeals also took this decision before, with Can Atalay "You will remember about it. Moreover, despite the decision of dear Selahattin Demirtaş three times regarding the Kobani conspiracy case, despite the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, you did not take any steps despite the Demirtaş file," he said.
NEW PARTY EMIR: THEY SEIZED THE PEOPLE'S TV AND WANT THE NATION TO NOT HEAR OR SEE THE FUNDING APPEARANCE
NEW Party Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir also reacted to the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV by the SDIF and said, "Today, with a dawn operation that we have come to dawn again, this time the SDIF seized Halk TV, Türkiye's most watched news channel, by the hands of the SDIF. With this decision, which is a violation of constitutional rights and a heavy blow to our democracy, only Halk TV employees, not the owner of Halk TV, but the Turkish people have been punished."
Regarding the fund investigation, Emir said, "If such a seizure of Halk TV had not happened today, we would be talking about the 'fund crisis'. We would have asked, and we continue to ask, who the 217 people who took those 187 billion liras and whom you hid with great care and why you still kept this list. Likewise, who are the 440 investors who missed 401 billion liras? Their relatives in the CMB, their relatives in the Ministry of Finance, their relatives in the palace, "Who are their wives and friends? Who are the favorite children of the palace who have become rich? Who are you hiding? You have done everything to ensure that the answers to these questions are not discussed or heard."
Referring to the detention of IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu, Emir said, "Again this morning, our IMM President Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu was going to start his defense. Dear friends, İmamoğlu has been in prison for 589 days, behind bars. He could not find a single penny of bribe against him. Fields were dug, water tanks were entered, safes were removed and opened, they could not find a penny, not a single penny, not a single lira. Here is Ekrem İmamoğlu's name." "They want his defense not to be heard or noticed, because he has been waiting for 589 days and has not been given the right to defend himself."
AKP'S AKBAŞOĞLU: ALL THE JUST AND THE UNJUST, THE GUILTY AND THE INNOCENT WILL BE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER
AKP Group Deputy Chairman Muhammed Emin Akbaşoğlu stated that the government has been continuing its work for 24 years and explained the work in the earthquake zone. Akbaşoğlu said, "As the Justice and Development Party, under the leadership of Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we have clearly demonstrated ourselves with uninterrupted works and services to this country for 24 years. While everyone was waiting for the earthquake of the AK Party, the Government and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to remain under the earthquake, the earthquake of the century was literally brought back to its feet with the construction of nearly 500 thousand houses in 11 provinces in a period of two and a half years." "We achieved this in a geography like this," he said.
Referring to the fund crisis, Akbaşoğlu said, "Just as there were people inside, outside and everywhere who rubbed their hands saying 'AK Party, the Government, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be under this earthquake', today there may be those who pray, want, and seek chaos to say 'Let the fund crisis stay under', but today, in the bill we have introduced, I declare from the Parliament to the whole of Türkiye and the world that all the right and wrong, the guilty and the innocent, investors and speculators, "Manipulators will be separated from each other, white and black will be separated from each other. Regardless of which party they are from, whether the government or the opposition, those who violate the nation's rights and laws will definitely be held accountable and we will come to power again; no one should have any doubt about this," he said.
