29.10.2026 22:59
CHP Group Chair Faik Öztrak claimed that New Party General Chair Özgür Özel and his team emptied the party’s Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) accounts while leaving the CHP. Stating that the matter had been taken to the judiciary, Öztrak argued that the money in question was kept in a special account belonging to the CHP General Chairmanship. Öztrak said, “How will those who swindled the money in the account of the party they call ‘the father’s home’ seek the people’s rights?”
A dispute has broken out between the CHP and the New Party founded by those who left the CHP over the money in the party's TBMM accounts. CHP Group Chair Öztrak said they will do everything in their power to get the money back.
“THE MATTER HAS BEEN REFERRED TO THE JUDICIARY”
Öztrak, who held a press conference at the TBMM, responded to the statements of the New Party Group Deputy Chair who spoke before him. Arguing that the money belongs to the CHP, Öztrak said:
“First of all, the matter has already been referred to the judiciary. Therefore, what this money is will be determined by the judiciary. Let me underline one point: this money is held in a special account at İş Bank belonging to the CHP General Chairmanship. In other words, it is the CHP's money.”
RESPONSE TO THE NEW PARTY'S “FUND AGENDA” ACCUSATION
Reminding that the New Party Group Deputy Chair accused the CHP of trying to obscure the fund agenda by bringing this case to the agenda, Öztrak claimed that he devoted 20 minutes of his meeting to the fund issue, but the New Party side did not say a single word about it.
Öztrak said, “We will deal with both the fund scandal and do everything in our power to get back the money belonging to our party's headquarters. If we do not do this—that is, while pursuing the fund scandal today, if we cannot even seek our own rights—we cannot convince our nation that we will seek the rights of fund victims. This is the politically important point. I will pursue both my own money and the fund scandal. I would also like to present this to the discretion of our nation: how will those who seized with trickery the money in the account of the party they call the ‘father's home’ seek the rights of the nation?”
“THE MONEY BELONGS TO THE CHP”
Stating that the court will decide to whom the money belongs, Öztrak said that group decisions will be evaluated within the framework of the CHP Group Internal Regulation, the Political Parties Law, and the Constitution. Öztrak spoke as follows:
“Such an arbitrary sum—described as ‘this is tea money’—cannot be collected. All of those payments have group decisions in their justification. But beyond all this, where was this money withdrawn from and distributed? From the special account of the CHP Headquarters. The money has passed into the CHP's assets; the money belongs to the CHP. The group decision you took in violation of the law, the signatures you used in violation of the law and the laws—I say it plainly—are of no use at all.”
“IT WAS TOLD DIFFERENTLY TO THE MPS”
Stating that he thought the MPs who received the money would not have touched it if they had known it belonged to the party, Öztrak targeted the former administration. Öztrak said, “However, unfortunately, the administration that had turned into the party's evil machine and that the courts declared invalid told the issue to the fellow MPs very differently.”