20.05.2025 16:10
The first hearing of the case against TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan and TÜSİAD YIK President Ömer Arif Aras, who are being prosecuted for "publicly disseminating misleading information and attempting to influence fair trial," took place at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on February 13, following a speech made at the association's general assembly. While the travel ban on Aras and Turan was lifted, the hearing of the case was postponed to September 23.
The President of the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD), Orhan Turan, and the Chairman of the High Advisory Council, Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras, appeared before the judge with a request for up to 5 years and 6 months in prison for two separate offenses. In the hearing held at the Istanbul 28th Criminal Court of First Instance, the defendants Orhan Turan and Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras, who are not in custody, were present along with their lawyers. During the hearing, after the defense of the non-custodial defendant Ömer Arif Aras, the non-custodial defendant Orhan Turan made his defense. In his defense, Orhan Turan stated, "As the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD and a businessman, I shared my suggestions and experiences in line with the thoughts specified in the association's charter."
"MY SPEECHES DO NOT CONSTITUTE A CRIME, THEY ARE BASED ON TÜSİAD'S FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS"
In his defense, defendant Turan stated, "Having graduated from Mechanical Engineering, I have strived to be beneficial both in my professional life and daily life by continuing my education in public schools. In the last three years, I have acted in a way to establish a company with 100% capital, the highest capital company in the country, as an export leader. We hold significant meetings both domestically and internationally with the government and other public institutions and organizations, and we express our views. I am being accused because of the speeches I made due to my position. I have never provided false information in my speeches. I listed some issues objectively, reflecting the effects of information that is known to the public and society. In my speech, I only made recommendations regarding the importance of ensuring the rule of law and the development of the country's economy. My speeches do not constitute a crime; they are based on TÜSİAD's findings and recommendations," he expressed.
"I SHARED MY SUGGESTIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN LINE WITH THE THOUGHTS SPECIFIED IN THE ASSOCIATION'S CHARTER"
Defendant Turan continued his defense by stating, "I emphasized the economic damages caused by such investigation phases regarding individuals holding extremely important positions in the eyes of the public. It is natural to use these expressions in the establishment of a civil society organization aimed at economic prosperity within the framework of the rule of law, formed by Turkish businessmen. There is no technical legal discourse in my speech. As the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD and a businessman, I shared my suggestions and experiences in line with the thoughts specified in the association's charter. The purpose of my speech was to state that the rule of law must prevail, and the country's economy can only advance in this way. I do not accept the accusations against me. The travel ban imposed on me as a businessman is causing harm to me and my company. Therefore, I request the lifting of my travel ban," he stated.
DEFENSE LAWYERS REQUESTED THE LIFTING OF THE TRAVEL BAN
The defense lawyers requested the lifting of the travel ban on their clients and their acquittal. A 10-minute break was given for the public prosecutor to present his opinion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INCIDENT
In the indictment prepared as part of the investigation against TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan and High Advisory Council Chairman Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras, it was stated that "the suspects disseminated misleading and disinformation content by evaluating political, legal, judicial, and administrative events of which they were unaware, indicating that there is no legal security in the country, that citizens have a trust problem towards the Republic of Turkey, and that there is unrest for this reason, claiming that the arrest processes are unlawful, and that legal measures such as the appointment of trustees and detention have shaken public trust."
REQUEST FOR UP TO 5 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR MEHMET ÖMER ARİF ARAS AND ORHAN TURAN
In the indictment, it was stated that "the suspects took advantage of the ease provided by their positions in the association, which has many members, due to their roles and careers in the field of economics." It was requested that suspects Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras and Orhan Turan be sentenced to imprisonment of 1 year and 10 months to 5 years and 6 months for the crime of 'publicly disseminating misleading information.' Additionally, it was learned that a separate case is ongoing against the suspects for the crime of 'attempting to influence the fair trial,' and in the indictment prepared for this crime, it was requested that suspects Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras and Orhan Turan be sentenced to judicial fines of not less than 50 days for 'attempting to influence the fair trial.' The two indictments were combined due to their connection.