Complaint on ‘insult’ charges against main opposition leader filed by PM Erdoğan’s son

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

PM Erdoğan (L) along with his son Bilal Erdoğan (C) and daughter Sümeyye Erdoğan salute supporters from the balcony of his ruling party headquarters in Ankara, March 31. AP Photo

The complaint that led to the prosecution of Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on insult charges was filed by Bilal Erdoğan, the son of the Turkish prime minister, daily Hürriyet reported on April 30.

The investigation was publically revealed after Kılıçdaroğlu was asked to testify in a case on April 30, despite being legally immune from prosecution as a parliamentary deputy.

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office later stated that the summons had been sent by mistake, while a prosecutor said an investigation was currently conducted against Kılıçdaroğlu on “insult charges.”

“The case is regarding a complaint by an individual,” Prosecutor Mehmet Demir told the Hürriyet Daily News on April 29 over the phone, admitting that it was his mistake to send Kılıçdaroğlu the document.

“But this is not a violation of the Constitution. We invited him to testify, and he declined; there is no need to create a scene,” Demir added.

The incident triggered angry reactions within the CHP, while ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik also criticized what he described as a “violation of the Constitution.”

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has removed Demir from the case following the summoning of Kılıçdaroğlu.

According to legal procedures, proscutors have to send a summary of proceedings to Parliament in order to request the investigation of any deputy as a suspect.