23.07.2025 21:43
The CHP leader Özel, who stated, "They trained that baklava seller for a month. We have 32 hours of footage," regarding Manavgat Deputy Mayor Mehmet Engin Tüter, who was seen receiving a bribe in a baklava box, was met with a strong response from President Erdoğan. Erdoğan said, "This is not politics; it's the audacity of throwing mud and leaving a mark. If you have video footage, instead of talking here and there, why don't you take it to court?"
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at the Police Academy Graduation Ceremony. Erdoğan harshly criticized CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.
PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN'S REACTION TO ÖZEL IN MANAVGAT
Regarding Manavgat Deputy Mayor Mehmet Engin Tüter, who was seen receiving a bribe in a baklava box, Özel claimed, "The police caught him with 99.9% drugs in a traffic stop a month ago. They trained that baklava seller for a month. We have 32 hours of footage." President Erdoğan responded firmly.
"THEY ARE CLINGING TO A CONSPIRACY LIE TO COVER UP THE BRIBERY SCANDAL"
President Erdoğan said: "I am the closest witness to how you fight with a high sense of duty for this homeland, for this nation, for the well-being and security of society. Yet, we see that some politicians, whose greed has taken over their minds, are humiliating our police with baseless claims. They have come out and are clinging to a conspiracy lie to cover up the bribery scandal that the police caught in the act. They say they have this much video footage. They are also casting suspicion on our judges and prosecutors who are pursuing the bribe-takers. Instead of cleaning the corruption virus that has wrapped around them, they are playing with the honor of the pure children of this nation.
"IF YOU HAVE VIDEO FOOTAGE, THEN PRESENT IT TO THE COURT"
This is not politics; it is the audacity of throwing mud and leaving a mark. If you have video footage, instead of talking here and there, present it to the court. If there is a conspiracy against you, you gather your evidence and go to court to hold the conspirators accountable. If you cannot prove what you say, you cannot escape being remembered as a slanderer. No one can slander the police or judicial members to evade justice for the bribers, nor can they target them. We will not allow this. We reject this dirty understanding of politics. I invite everyone, especially the main opposition, to use a careful language towards the judiciary.
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