CHP slams MİT over fabricated news stories

ANKARA

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The leader of the main opposition party has categorically denied news reports published in two pro-government newspapers claiming the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been receiving financial support from the Gülenists, blaming the intelligence organization for fabricating these stories.

“It’s utter nonsense. I don’t understand how they can fabricate such things. I have already said: We know this intelligence organization, let me say it clearly, the National Intelligence Organization [MİT] has a special team and we know which unit of the MİT and how many of them are responsible for this,” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, chairman of the CHP, told reporters Feb. 19.

Kılıçdaroğlu referred to Akşam and Star newspapers who have been publishing alleged conversations between top CHP officials and “Fuat Avni,” the alias of a whistleblower, for the last two days. The stories argue that the CHP and the Fethullah Gülen community, what the government calls the parallel structure, are in close collaboration against the government including money transfers from the community to the CHP.

“They are claiming money transferred to the CHP [as evidence] through the Turkish Language Society. If it [this claim] is true, where is the state? How can they fabricate such things? They also argue we have secret accounts in Swiss banks. They should inform us about these accounts so that we can get this money, because we need it, especially on the eve of elections,” Kılıçdaroğlu said. “These are the most absurd things I have ever heard in my life.”

A team of 4 spies in the MİT

Haluk Koç, the spokesperson of the CHP, gave more details about the unit in the intelligence agency that is allegedly tasked to conspire against the CHP upon the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“This is a team of four people; two come from the strategic analysis department and two from the counterintelligence department. They are all experts in the field of psychological operations,” Koç said.

Koç recalled that the party has long been complaining about the MİT’s efforts to create links between the CHP and the parallel structure, adding this campaign was not limited to the CHP, but other opposition parties as well.

“What I have said is clear. I have disclosed the names of the departments and explained how the system works. We know who has been involved in this process by name,” he added.