Response from Mustafa Sarıgül to the allegations against him: 'It is a great injustice...'

Mustafa Sarıgül made a statement regarding the investigation that led to the arrest of journalist Murat Ağırel.

Claiming that the people who opened the investigation against him attempted to blackmail him and his family members by sending fake documents, Sarıgül stated that the people who did not get results from these attempts contacted journalist Murat Ağırel, and that Ağırel wanted to verify the allegations and documents he received, but did not report them because he could not verify them.

Sarıgül evaluated Ağırel's inclusion in the investigation and his arrest as "a great injustice".

Sarıgül's words were as follows:

“With respect to the public;

I have been in politics since 1975. I have been living in the public eye and among the public for nearly 50 years.

I worked for pay. I worked as a civil servant. I traded. I performed public duty as mayor. As a member of parliament, I served to represent my nation.

I was inspected countless times by the necessary authorities, both while I was doing business and while I was mayor. There is not even an investigation opened against me.

After the 2023 elections, I declared my assets as a member of parliament. There is not even a penny that I cannot account for.

The allegations of the individuals who caused the investigation to be opened are based on fake bank receipts, fake notary certifications, fraudulently prepared contracts and documents.

The receipts are fake. A 100 euro receipt was changed to 100 million euros.

The companies claimed to have been established were not established.

There is not even 1 euro that was brought to or left Turkey.

Contacts between these individuals and me or my family members were terminated by us before they became official. There is no public harm, nor is there any harm suffered by these individuals.

The individuals who caused the investigation to be opened sent the fraudulent documents they had to me and my family members via e-mail and WhatsApp, but they did not succumb to these blackmails. When these attempts failed to yield results, they contacted journalist Murat Ağırel to create public pressure on us.

Mr. Ağırel was suspicious of the allegations and documents he received and wanted to verify them as a matter of ethical journalism. Individuals then filed a complaint against me, my family members and journalist Murat Ağırel.

They claimed that Mr. Murat Ağırel informed us and protected us, even though we were already aware of these attempts of these individuals - via e-mail and WhatsApp.

I am extremely sorry that Mr. Murat Ağırel's name was involved in this investigation and he was arrested on the grounds that he did not make news - because he could not access sufficient information and documents. It is a great injustice.

We are going through difficult times as a country, but these difficulties will make us stronger. We will not lose our faith in democracy, justice and the rule of law. "The winner will be democracy, the winner will be justice, the winner will be all of Türkiye."