Mob boss’s threat against CHP leader ‘threaten constitutional order’

ANKARA

Threats by convicted mafia leader Alaattin Çakıcı against Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also threaten Turkey’s constitutional order, according to the party’s spokesperson, Faik Öztrak.

“The threat is not against the main opposition leader, but the constitutional order,” Öztrak said Nov. 23 at a press conference, noting that they expected their criminal complaint to be processed soon.

Last week, Kılıçdaroğlu filed a criminal complaint against Çakıcı, who insulted and threatened the CHP chair in an open letter.

Çakıcı, who was released from prison this summer thanks to a partial amnesty law following a push from the Nationalist Movement Party’s (MHP), issued death threats against Kılıçdaroğlu after the latter criticized MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli in his parliamentary group meeting on Nov. 17.

Öztrak also said the CHP would submit a motion to parliament this week asking the whereabouts of the Central Bank’s decreasing foreign currency reserves.

The CHP spokesperson also chided President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for announcing a new path of economic and judicial reforms, but then making confusing statements. Öztrak said the president’s pledges were “vague” because Erdoğan later said his party’s “direction” aligned with the nationalist party.

Öztrak also touched on a German frigate’s intervention against a Libya-bound Turkish cargo ship, describing it as an extremely grave development. “This is a trade ship. What happened to freedom of trade? They should apologize to Turkey immediately,” he said.

At the same time, Öztrak asked why the Turkish government did not provide military protection to the ship.