11.10.2026 01:21
Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat responded to allegations that he withdrew 170 million liras and closed his account as part of a fund investigation. Bolat, who said, "Here is an open invitation, you can ask all the banks in Turkey; if there is any account closure or money withdrawal transaction of 170 million liras belonging to me and my relatives at any bank, find it," rejected the allegations and said he would settle accounts with those responsible before the judiciary.
Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, in his statements and assessments regarding the allegations raised against him within the scope of the fund investigations, recalled that as a result of the government's decision on September 16, an investigation was launched into 7 portfolio management companies, and said that certain banks were assigned to liquidate 131 different funds belonging to these companies.
Stating that before the investigations were even completed and before it was established whether any manipulation had been carried out regarding the funds, members of a party whose name is new but whose mentality is old, along with the party's chairman, turned the process into a campaign of political exploitation and lynching, Bolat said, “Three days ago in the evening on Sözcü TV, two character assassins put forward the slander that ‘Ömer Bolat also closed his fund account before the operation,’ and immediately afterward continued the perception operation with their second slander, ‘He put in 400 million, withdrew 800 million.’”
Bolat stated that, in response to these slanders, they laid out all the facts with complete clarity within an hour and immediately shared them with the public.
Emphasizing that those who become ministers are legally required to declare their assets when they take office and in subsequent periods, Bolat continued as follows: “These (asset declarations) are already subject to oversight. On the other hand, we have stated that I held the highest-level positions in the business world for 43 years. After being appointed as minister, on February 26, 2024, I deposited my family savings of 37.8 million lira into a sukuk, lease certificate account at Hedef Yatırım Portföy Şirketi, which has been operating in the capital markets for about 16-17 years. After that, I did not make any redemption from the sukuk investment.”
“THE SLANDERS WERE DEMOLISHED IN A VERY SHORT TIME”
Noting that all payment transactions in Turkey are necessarily made through banks and that payments are transferred to accounts through banks, Minister Bolat recorded the following: “(In response to these allegations) I said, ‘Bring it on; the account was not closed, you are slandering. No manipulative transaction was carried out regarding this account. In any case, sukuk lease certificate is an interest-free money market instrument, and if the private institutions issuing the sukuk pay their debts, it yields an annual return close to the inflation rate. I even published the return rates.’ After refuting these slanders, I clearly established that I have no crypto or foreign savings account, and that I pay my taxes and social security premiums to my state regularly. Thank God, our nation, our people know us, they know our past and our lineage, and they also know well those who slander. In this sense, in a short time, with the intense support and prayers of our dear citizens, these slanders were demolished by dawn.”
“HERE IS AN OPEN CHALLENGE TO THE SLANDERERS: FIND A 170 MILLION LIRA ACCOUNT-CLOSING TRANSACTION”
Minister of Trade Bolat stated that, as the course of the process changed, New Party İzmir Deputy Ümit Özlale made two new slanders on October 8, with a lack of conscience unbecoming of a scientist, even though he could easily have reached him, and he stated that one of them was about himself and the other about Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş.
Emphasizing that he and Göktaş also refuted these new slanders with evidence within a few hours and that they were revealed to be slander, Bolat made the following statement: “In my immediate response to Ümit Özlale the same day, I stated that there was no such record of a 170 million lira withdrawal in the Central Registry Agency before the September 16 operation, and that our sukuk account was transferred to Ziraat Bank for liquidation. Furthermore, if any account closure or money withdrawal transaction had been carried out in Turkey, it would have had to be a transfer transaction at a bank. The MKK is a registry and custody center, not an institution that carries out financial transactions directly upon a request from an individual. In addition, I issued a call: ‘Here is an open challenge: you can ask all banks in Turkey; if there is a 170 million lira account closure or money withdrawal transaction belonging to me or my relatives at any bank, find it.’ Of course, they could not give an answer.”
Stating that despite all this the slanders continued, Bolat continued his words as follows: “Even though all these facts were put forward by us, New Party Chairman Özgür Özel, at yesterday's rally in Mersin, shamelessly and unabashedly tried to create the perception that ‘Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat also carried out a 170 million lira transaction,’ suggesting that I closed my sukuk account, which has nothing to do with the fund investigations, and withdrew the money. Their tactic here is this: First, they will tell a small, plain and simple lie. Then they will repeat this lie constantly. After that, they will sit back with pleasure and delightedly watch how this lie is perceived by the masses as if it were true. This is the tactic Özgür Özel and his men are following.”
“THEY TRIED TO CREATE A PERCEPTION BY FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS”
Minister Bolat stated that they investigated the allegations in detail together with lawyers and experts, and made the following assessments: “In my MKK records, which can already be accessed via E-Government, and in our sukuk account at Hedef Yatırım Portföy Şirketi, there is absolutely no withdrawal of 170 million lira or account closure by us. This is a huge lie and slander. They committed document forgery as follows: In the investment portfolio company, regarding the sukuk lease certificates in my account with different maturities, different transactions are made for old issuances that mature and new issuances put in their place. By adding up various duplicate transactions related to all matured collections and payments made for the purchase of new sukuk lease certificates over a period of 2 years and 8 months, that is, 32 months, they tried to create the manipulation perception that ‘he carried out a 170 million lira transaction and withdrew money.’ We detected this. In addition, since October 25, 2024, no new sukuk payment or collection transaction has been made in the records.
I once again issue an open call to them. If they have the courage, they can officially ask the MKK and learn the truth. They surely have a few moles in financial institutions; they can ask them too. They can ask their close contacts in the banking system, ‘Was there a 170 million lira withdrawal to the accounts of Ömer Bolat or his relatives, or not?’ This document forgery is an act of immorality, not politics.”
“WE WILL SETTLE ACCOUNTS IN THE SUPREME TURKISH COURTS”
Minister of Trade Bolat stated that, because of these lies and slanders, the Turkish nation has not allowed this mentality to see the face of power for 24 years, and he recounted that the public clearly sees how the many municipalities they won in just the last two local elections were collapsed and plundered, and that they are accounting for it before justice.
Stating that those who throw out these slanders assume that "the people they face are like themselves," Bolat concluded his words as follows: "Their greatest capital is lies and slander. With this, they act with the desire to obscure the great services rendered for our country and our people, and thus one day come to power and take over. We will settle accounts with them in the supreme Turkish courts. What is this execution of dignity, this assassination of reputation? I will continue this struggle with them in the judiciary to the end."
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