From Özgür Özel to Lütfü Savaş: “Can you ask a microbe, ‘Why do you cause disease?’?”

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel emphasized in a statement on Halk TV that HTS recordings cannot be considered evidence according to the Constitutional Court ruling. Responding to Supreme Court of Appeals President Ömer Kerkez's call for compliance with Constitutional Court rulings, Özel stated that imprisoned mayors are held solely on their base records, and that Ahmet Özer has been imprisoned for nine months.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel appeared as a guest on the program "Red Line" hosted by Gözde Şeker on Halk TV. Özel commented on issues such as imprisoned mayors, statements by Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Ömer Kerkez, and the opposition alliance.

Özel, commenting on Supreme Court of Appeals President Ömer Kerkez's reminder that Constitutional Court decisions must be followed, said, "This statement by our Supreme Court of Appeals President is truly valuable. It is valuable in Türkiye. There's no need for Supreme Court presidents to make such a statement around the world anyway."

Recalling that there had been a debate between the 3rd Chamber of the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court in the past, Özel explained that the Constitutional Court overturned the decision of the first-tier court, but upon the court's resistance, the Supreme Court stood by this resistance.

Özel stated that the Constitutional Court ruled that HTS records cannot prove a person has met with someone, and that this ruling was applied to the case of Umut Yılmaz, who switched from the CHP to the AKP in Gaziantep. "This decision applies to Umut Yılmaz," Özel said. "He was acquitted on the same HTS grounds and then transferred to the AKP. But our friends are incarcerated on a base record," he said, adding that Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe's case only includes a base record.

Özel stated that Bahçetepe gave a base recording from a gas station 800 meters away on November 24th. "It gave a base recording 800 meters away from this gas station on November 24th. There is a school 800 meters away, and they celebrated Teachers' Day on November 24th," he said.

He explained that Bahçetepe had opened its covered market, located one kilometer away, on another day and had coffee with Erasmus students at a cafe 400 meters away. Özel said, "They're saying, 'You met with this person and accepted a bribe, just because you're talking about these three people.' There's no tender, nothing. The previous AK Party mayor awarded the contract."

Özel argued that Ahmet Özer had been detained for nine months and that a backup arrest was made. Özel said , “They had already removed Ahmet Özer from Esenyurt due to the city's agreement. When Devlet Bahçeli went to the DEM ranks and initiated a new process, and Ahmet Özer's accusation was dropped, they made a backup arrest based on this case before the original case was released.”

Özel also stated that Özer would have effectively turned one year in prison on October 30th. "Ahmet Özer said, 'I confess, I committed that crime,' he said. 'I accept the sentence,' he said. 'Don't offer a reduction,' he said. Even if they give Ahmet Özer a four-year sentence, they will release him. They will take him out in three months. They are still keeping him in prison," he said.

Özel, stating that Resul Emrah Şahan was also backed up, said, “They backed up Resul Emrah Şahan, too. Because Resul Emrah Şahan was also detained in connection with the city reconciliation. Now, anticipating that the city reconciliation files will be dropped, they are backing up Resul Emrah Şahan by mixing him into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) file or another file, saying, ‘You did this, you did that.’”

Özel, arguing that the goal wasn't to fight corruption, said, "Look, how do you know it wasn't aimed at combating corruption? If it were, he would have used that file on the first day. Those files are lying around. He knows there's nothing wrong with them. He's been audited by the Court of Accounts, audited by financial auditors, property inspectors, and internal audits."

Özel, who stated that when the government wants to bring someone in, it finds a name where the Court of Accounts cannot find any crime, said, "They find a businessman and bring him in. They get a slander note by scaring him with the thought of us looting his assets."

Özel, claiming that Resul Emrah Şahan is being held in custody because he is close to Ekrem İmamoğlu, said, "He used to be a director and general manager at the İPA. They said someone from Ekrem İmamoğlu's brain, his intellect, his team should be in custody, so he realized he wouldn't be able to keep him here. They're bringing him in because of this case."

Özel criticized the release of Aziz İhsan Aktaş, the alleged leader of a criminal organization, saying, "He could probably enter through the door right here. He could. He could come in if your security guards didn't stop him. He's fine. He's free to wander around as he pleases. Our friends are lying in jail because of his slander."

Özel, who stated that the person who awarded the tender was the previous AKP mayor of Seyhan, said, "The payments were made regularly, on the 4th or 5th of every month. Regularly. The person says they asked me for a bribe. They weren't making my payments before, but now I've made them, it's all fixed. He's pouring it out. He has everything from A to Z."

Özel expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Tufan Erhürman, the CTP, and all of Cyprus for the Cyprus election, saying, "It wasn't just CTP members who voted for Tufan Erhürman in the Cyprus election. Everyone in Cyprus who doesn't want their will to be interfered with did so."

Özel, emphasizing that those who treat Cyprus as a foster homeland have lost, made the following assessment: "No one can stand in the way of a change whose time has come. This is the same in Cyprus, and it will be the same in Türkiye tomorrow or the next."

Özel, stating that he believes the opposition in Türkiye will be united and united in the upcoming election process, said, "Anyone who strays from the opposition will alienate voters anyway. Voters expect this system to change. This system of oppression, this unjust system, to change. Citizens want this system to change."

Özel spoke about Lütfü Savaş's petition to the court to annul all provincial congress elections. Özel said, “He was repeatedly nominated as a candidate from this party, achieved important positions, then ran again, was declared persona non grata. Just to give him credit, we took all the risks because he was ahead in the polls, and we were subjected to all sorts of abuse, yet we still nominated him. Then he went on to accuse the party of 'collaborating with the PKK,' and had himself expelled from the party.”

Özel, who stated that Savaş was trying to cancel the party's congresses as a pawn of the government, said , "He's being a microbe. I said we shouldn't be surprised that he's actually doing it. Should you ask a microbe why it causes disease? That's his job."