CHP leader probed for 'insulting' president, prosecutor

ISTANBUL

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel is facing a new investigation, launched over his remarks during a rally on Nov. 5 about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Istanbul's chief prosecutor Akın Gürlek.

The probe was opened ex officio after Özel accused Gürlek of receiving a salary from a Luxembourg-based subsidiary of the state-owned mining and chemicals company Eti Maden and made a reference to Erdoğan.

At the rally in Istanbul's Ümraniye district, he claimed that Gürlek was paid by the company for nine months between November 2024 and August 2025.

"I ask the justice minister, I ask the president... Do you know that a salary was paid from Eti Maden's company in Luxembourg?” Özel said, citing the country's official trade registry documents.

The CHP leader referred to Erdoğan while discussing the matter, saying, "Watch out for your dogs messing with us." Prosecutors accuse him of "insulting the president and a public official."

Following the announcement of the probe later in the day, Özel responded on X, posting, “Bring it on.”

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç condemned Özel’s remarks, calling them "low-level, ugly and aggressive behavior" and "disrespectful and lacking in political ethics."

The controversy comes amid an ongoing probe against the Istanbul Municipality that began on March 19. Authorities say at least 360 people have been detained, with 156 — including Ekrem İmamoğlu and other mayors — arrested. Others have been placed under judicial control, house arrest or travel bans.

While the CHP insists the operations are politically motivated, the government has rejected such claims.