AKP files multi-million-lira lawsuits against journalists and opposition spokesman over fund scandal
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party has sued two journalists, a TV channel and an opposition spokesperson, seeking 1.6 million lira in damages for their coverage of the recent investment-fund crisis.
The Justice and Development Party announced lawsuits demanding a total of 1.6 million lira from two journalists, the independent BirGün TV, and opposition New Party spokesman Zeynel Emre over alleged unfounded accusations related to the September-October investment-fund scandal. AKP Secretary-General Eyyüp Kadir İnan specified 600,000 lira claims against Timur Soykan and BirGün TV for three separate broadcasts, and 500,000 lira claims each against Şaban Sevinç and Emre.
The civil suits follow ongoing criminal cases, including the jailing of Sevinç and Sözcü editor Mustafa Balcı for disseminating misleading information, and house arrests of İsmail Saymaz and Murat Ağırel. Regulators have ordered the liquidation of 131 funds, impacting over 455,000 investors, while investigators say 141 individuals and 73 companies may have profited illegally, though names remain undisclosed. The scandal has also forced former AKP family minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya to relinquish party posts after accusations of profiting from pre-crisis share trades. BirGün TV’s coordinator Emre Yıldırım rejected the damages claim, emphasizing the outlet’s duty to the public.
Why it matters
The lawsuits illustrate escalating legal pressure on media reporting of alleged political corruption in Turkey.
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