Fresh resignation in Turkey’s ruling AKP over graft scandal


Date posted: February 1, 2014

ANKARA

One more lawmaker resigned from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Jan. 31, in the aftermath of the massive graft probe that has gripped the country since mid-December.

Istanbul Deputy Muhammed Çetin officially resigned over the party’s decision to dispatch him to the disciplinary board with a demand of expulsion two weeks ago.

With Çetin’s resignation, the number of lawmakers who have stepped down from the AKP since the graft scandal broke rises to six, and to eight since the test prep school (dershanes) row erupted, in a wave of defections unprecedented in the party’s history.

The government’s move to shut down the test prep schools caused a huge rift between the AKP and the movement of the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, which further swelled after the government accused the movement of orchestrating the graft probes.

Çetin, who was among the small group of AKP deputies who criticized the government’s position on the test prep schools (dershanes) row, is also known to be close to Gülen’s movement

Many lawmakers ‘disturbed’

He claimed that more resignations from the AKP would follow. “I don’t have any contact with anyone, but I know there is [disquiet] inside [the party]. Many people are disturbed. People are talking, and soon those people will quit one-by-one,” Çetin said. He also claimed that some deputies complained that they could not “face their electors” anymore.

Çetin also denied that he had spoken about resigning with Gülen, adding that the U.S.-based scholar did not give orders to anyone. “He does not interfere with anyone’s preferences. You only take advise and he gives his personal opinion. He has actually persuaded me to stay until today,” the resigned deputy said.

“I always sat in the blind spot, in the back ranks. The cameras would not record me. So I don’t have to be ingratiated to anyone. I didn’t talk unless I was asked and always defended my party and my country. But what they say [now] are things that are cut and pasted,” Çetin added, harshly criticizing the AKP’s stance after the probes.

He also recalled the remarks of AKP deputy Ali Aşlık, who said the fate of controversial prosecutor Zekeriya Öz would be like that of another prosecutor who was found dead in his home after opening a probe into corruption allegations last year.

“I told him, ‘[saying this] is suicide,” Çetin said.

The request for Çetin’s expulsion came after a complaint was filed by fellow AKP deputies Volkan Bozkır and Ali Aşlık. According to earlier reports, Çetin was quoted as saying “What’s the size of your shoe? Why we don’t get any shoebox,” to fellow lawmakers during an executive board meeting. The “joke” was a clear reference to $4.5 million found in cash in shoeboxes during the bribery raid in the house of Süleyman Aslan on Dec. 18, the general manager of the state-run lender Halkbank.

Former Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin opened the defection season following the damaging Dec. 17 raids, in which the sons of three ex-ministers were taken into custody along with other prominent bureaucrats and businessman.

He was followed by former Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay, İzmir MP Erdal Kalkan and Ankara MP Haluk Özdalga, who were all sent to the disciplinary board for expressing criticism of the AKP’s response to the probes.

Burdur deputy Hasan Hami Yıldırım, who took to Twitter to criticize the removal of the lead prosecutor in a new corruption case, was the most recent lawmaker to part ways with the party.

Kütahya MP İdris Bal was the first lawmaker to quit after being sent to the disciplinary board late November, shortly followed by Istanbul MP and former striker Hakan Şükür, the legendary former international soccer player who is openly close to Gülen.

The number of AKP’s deputies at Parliament has fallen to 319 out of 550 MPs.

Source: Hurriyet Daily , January 31, 2014


Related News

Erdogan’s Turkey silencing dissent, abusing terrorism charges – HRW report

Turkey’s prolonged and arbitrary detention of journalists, human rights defenders, and politicians following the 2016 coup attempt have set back the country’s human rights record, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2020 published on Tuesday.

Germany Accuses Turkey Of ‘Unacceptable’ Spying Against Gülen Supporters

Boris Pistorius, the Interior Minister for Lower Saxony State of Germany, has accused Turkey of carrying out “unacceptable” spying on its soil. It is accused of conducting espionage in more than 200 associations and schools linked to supporters of Fethullah Gülen. Pistorius said the move was “intolerable and unacceptable.”

Islamic scholar Gülen calls for calm among supporters

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has called on his supporters to remain calm and be patient in the wake of rumors that Istanbul police were planning to start an operation to round up hundreds of people close to his movement. Gülen called for patience and calm among the relatives of those who are being probed or expecting probes against them, advising them to pray and read the Quran.

Gülen’s lawyer files libel suit against Interior Minister Ala

Albayrak stated in the petition that unrealistic allegations and imputations, intended to defame his client Gülen, were made by Ala during his speech in Erzurum. Albayrak stated: “The expressions used by Ala cannot be considered within the scope of freedom of expression as they clearly violate the personal rights of Gülen.”

[VIDEO] Turkish philosophy teacher says wife had to give birth at home due to Erdogan’s witch-hunt

A Turkish philosophy teacher, named Yasin, has said in a video documentary that his wife had to give birth to their 4th child at home due to an arrest warrant the government issued against them over their suspected ties to the Gulen movement.

Doesn’t Obama know Gülen is in the US?

Gülen’s global schools are English-language schools run by Muslim Turks in places where it would be very difficult for American or British teachers to work, both politically and financially.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Journalists and Writers Foundation to discuss girls’ education in Afghanistan

Kimse Yok Mu head: Council of State confirms charity’s transparency

Baseless allegations damage publicly traded firms

Turkey after the purge: Journalists and judges pay the price

Before the Lights are Out…

What should we expect from 2015?

Can a leader play a mediator role while terminating an aid charity?

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News