The CHP also asked Ala if the government excluded the terrorist group al-Qaeda from its list of dangerous organizations in the alleged file.Complaints over the past month from the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) over increased political pressure and profiling of its members have now been conveyed to Parliament, with the CHP demanding a governmental explanation on the issue.

Representatives from the Turkish business world have publicly mentioned increased government pressure and interventions following the Dec. 17 corruption probe. Government pressure allegations have also come from TUSKON, which has described the government profiling as “dangerous.” TUSKON is a large business group affiliated with Turkey’s largest volunteer-based Islamic group, the Hizmet movement. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has alleged since December last year that Hizmet is working to undermine his political power, but he has provided no sound evidence to prove his claim so far.

Regarding the claims of pressure on businesses, CHP İstanbul deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu asked Ala on Friday if his ministry had prepared secret files in which TUSKON members were profiled. Tanrıkulu also asked Ala if the minister’s office had shared these alleged documents with foreign officials. “Who are these foreign officials and who met them to share what kind of information?” the CHP deputy asked. Tanrıkulu also asked if Ala is preparing to travel abroad for three days in June and share the alleged file with more foreign government officials.

A few days after his appointment as interior minister in December, Ala told media that a bank close to Hizmet had stocked up on greenbacks from the market before the Dec. 17 operation and made a profit of $2 billion when the exchange rates later registered a spike. Central Bank of Turkey data showed no such profit was made and Ala declined to comment further.