Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, has responded to the allegations made by CHP Leader Özgür Özel. In regards to the claims made by Özgür Özel concerning the MASAK report, Minister Şimşek released a statement. In his social media post, Minister Şimşek stated: “Despite numerous statements made regarding baseless allegations and accusations, the ongoing remarks directed towards me by the main opposition leader is directly an attempt to assassinate my reputation and cannot be presented under the guise of politics. According to the binding provision of the Criminal Procedure Code concerning the confidentiality of the investigation, MASAK directly conveys the requested information to the prosecutor without receiving any opinion, directive, or approval from any institution. The report mentioned by Mr. Özel is simply a technical document containing data and does not contain any interpretations. According to MASAK’s legislation, all reports prepared by experts/interns, regardless of their title, have the same legal effect and validity. The leader of the main opposition party should use a more dignified language, Mr. Özel should not resort to lying and slander.”

WHAT DID ÖZGÜR ÖZEL SAY? Özel, in his statement on Halk TV, accused Şimşek of “assigning interns under his own instructions. A false MASAK report is signed and sent. Şimşek has remained silent on the use of MASAK under his control for political operations.”