Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is seeking 1.6 million lira ($32,400) in damages from two journalists, an independent news channel and an opposition spokesman over their coverage and criticism of an investment fund scandal, the BirGün daily reported Tuesday.
The scandal erupted in mid-September when several funds could not repay investors seeking to withdraw their money, prompting investigations into suspected market manipulation. Regulators ordered the liquidation of 131 funds affecting more than 455,000 investors, while opposition politicians questioned whether politically connected investors had received advance warning that allowed them to sell before the crisis became public.
AKP Secretary-General Eyyüp Kadir İnan announced the lawsuits against journalists Timur Soykan and Şaban Sevinç, BirGün TV and Zeynel Emre, spokesman for the main opposition New Party. He accused them of making unfounded allegations that harmed the party’s reputation.
The party is seeking 600,000 lira ($12,200) from Soykan and BirGün TV over broadcasts on September 26 and October 3 and 10. Separate claims seek 500,000 lira ($10,100) each from Sevinç and Emre.
BirGün TV broadcasting coordinator Emre Yıldırım responded that politicians whose financial dealings had come under scrutiny were trying to silence journalists instead of answering their questions.
“No claim for damages can take precedence over our responsibility to the public,” he said, adding that BirGün would continue reporting.
The scandal has also reached the AKP leadership. Former family minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya relinquished her party leadership posts in September after allegations that she and her husband profited from share transactions before the turmoil.
The couple were later questioned as suspects, and the AKP confirmed last week that Kaya was no longer a member. Both denied wrongdoing.
The civil lawsuits follow criminal proceedings against journalists who reported on alleged connections between government figures and people implicated in the scandal.
Sevinç, editor-in-chief of the online news channel Bizim TV, was jailed pending trial Friday alongside Mustafa Balcı, an editor at the Sözcü newspaper, on accusations of publicly disseminating misleading information.
Their case concerns allegations linking AKP spokesman Ömer Çelik to Osman Arıkan Nacar, a suspect in the fund investigation.
Journalists İsmail Saymaz and Murat Ağırel were placed under house arrest Saturday after İstanbul prosecutors challenged an earlier decision to release them under judicial supervision. Trade Minister Ömer Bolat had filed a criminal complaint over a broadcast questioning his connections to the scandal.
The legal action comes as opposition politicians demand the names of investors who allegedly made large profits before the crisis became public.
In his remarks Monday, Emre accused the government of shielding politically connected people and withholding the identities of 214 individuals and companies identified in the investigation. He also accused it of invoking the presumption of innocence for people implicated in the scandal while publicly targeting opposition figures in other cases.
Emre said his party had received information concerning deputy ministers, politicians and bureaucrats but would name them only after verifying the allegations.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has said investigators identified 141 individuals and 73 companies that allegedly obtained unjust gains totaling 187.6 billion lira, or about $3.8 billion, through funds managed by Tera, Pusula and Hedef. Their names have not been publicly disclosed.
Investigators are examining whether some investors received advance information that allowed them to sell their holdings before the crisis became public.
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