17.04.2025 09:31
The lawsuits filed for the annulment of the CHP's congress held in November 2023 have been consolidated into a single case. The first hearing will take place today. In the investigation regarding the allegations of "vote buying for money" during the 38th Ordinary Congress, the party's delegate from Erzurum, Yusuf Gögerkaya, testified as a witness. Gögerkaya's claim of a "money" exchange that allegedly took place at a venue in Ankara has drawn attention.
Former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and some delegates had filed lawsuits in separate courts for the cancellation of the CHP's congress scheduled for November 4-5, 2023. The cancellation lawsuits were consolidated in the file at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance. The first hearing will be held today.
According to a report by Hürriyet Newspaper, the CHP submitted its response to the court regarding the lawsuits. Requesting the dismissal of the case, the CHP reminded the legal provisions. In the CHP's petition, it was stated, "A request for the cancellation of a decision made at the congress can be made within a maximum of three months from the date of the decision. Therefore, the lawsuit has not been filed within the statutory period."
ERZURUM DELEGATE GAVE A STATEMENT
In the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Erzurum delegate Yusuf Gögerkaya, who gave a statement to the prosecutor, explained that he joined the CHP in 2022 and served as the district president of Uzundere in Erzurum, and that he voted as a delegate at the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress. Gögerkaya stated that he cast his vote for Özgür Özel at the congress, mentioning that the Erzurum provincial chairman at that time was Serhat Can Eş, who held a meeting with Erzurum delegates before the congress to prepare and distribute two lists.
Gögerkaya noted in his statement; "He prepared one list for Özgür Özel and the other list for Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The reason for having two lists was to support the person who offered him the most benefits in his competition for the party leadership, and who would continue his position as the provincial chairman of Erzurum. Serhat Can Eş came to the congress a few days before us. When he arrived in Ankara, he shared a photo with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and declared his support. After returning from Istanbul, the president met with Özgür Özel and shared a photo with him as well. He expressed his support for Özel. We, as Erzurum delegates, reacted to this situation. As the eight delegates of Erzurum, we met with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and shared a photo, declaring our support for him."
Gögerkaya stated that after leaving the headquarters, he suggested to his fellow delegates to meet with the provincial chairman, but four of them did not accept, and he went to the hotel with the other three, where Eş was staying.
"HE OFFERED ME A THOUSAND DOLLARS"
Gögerkaya explained that the day before the congress, he went to a venue in Ankara with Serhat Can Eş, Erturan Alagöz, and a person named Abdulkadir from Aziziye, stating, "Later, around 2:00 AM, Serhat Can Eş invited us to the entrance of the pavilion. He addressed us, saying, 'I need to take your signatures and send them somewhere.' and took out money from his pocket. He offered me 1000 dollars. I took this money to use as evidence later. I never used this money. He offered 1500 dollars to my friend Erturan Alagöz, and he took that money and put it in his pocket. He offered 1000 dollars to Abdulkadir, but Abdulkadir refused this money and left the environment, going to the side where Kılıçdaroğlu's team was."
He stated that they later went to the hotel and signed the documents shown by Eş, saying, "About 20 minutes after we signed the documents, a journalist named Şaban Sevinç shared the document we signed and gave to Serhat Can Eş exactly on his X account."
"I VOTED IN FAVOR OF ÖZEL"
Gögerkaya stated, "I did not hear that Erzurum delegates Ekrem Ekmekçi, Yunus Siner, Ümit Karacabey, Bayram (the Tekman district chairman), and Recep Eren received money. During the congress, Serhat Can Eş asked the delegates to vote in favor of Özgür Özel and to take a photo of the ballot with Özgür Özel marked and send it to him. On the day of the congress, I voted in favor of Özgür Özel, took a photo with my own mobile phone, and sent it to Eş via WhatsApp. Our other delegates did the same." he stated.
Gögerkaya explained that after the congress, they returned to Erzurum, and there was much discussion among delegates and party members about allegations of irregularities. Gögerkaya demanded that these allegations of irregularities be investigated and that any identified responsible parties be punished.