Political, financial leg of coup left in the dark: Opposition MHP

ANKARA

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The opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has criticized a draft report prepared by a parliamentary commission formed to investigate the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, saying that the political and financial leg of the coup attempt was not revealed by “obstacles put by AKP [ruling Justice and Development Party] members of the commission.”

“The political leg of the organization and the ‘peace in the homeland council,’ which has published a manifesto on the night of July 15 on behalf of the putschists were not fully revealed yet. There were no concrete steps taken against the financial leg of the organization and the investigation on those who contributed to the formation of such a strong financial leg has not been fully conducted,” Mehmet Erdoğan, MHP lawmaker and member of the parliamentary committee, said in a press conference on June 12, as the opposition party filed an objection to the parliamentary commission’s report.  

Erdoğan stated that the commission chair and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members hindered opposition efforts to reveal the political and financial leg of the coup attempt. 

“We have been requested by MİT [National Intelligence Organization] to send the list of senior bureaucrats and politicians using the block vote to the commission, but this request has not been fulfilled,” Erdoğan said. 

“[Our demand of] listening to the most important actors of the coup attempt was hindered by the commission chairman and AKP members of the commission on the grounds that there is a judicial investigation,” he added. 

He also stated that the MHP strongly criticized that MİT Chief Hakan Fidan and Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar did not participate in the committee. 

“It has not even been clarified whether or not any department of state or any senior officers received a notice prior to the day of the coup attempt or on the day of the coup attempt. The coup night has been left in the dark,” Erdoğan said. 

“It is very surprising that most of the important and remarkable findings and information which was conveyed to the committee by public figures who served in various state offices for years have not been included in the report of the committee,” Erdoğan said. 

Despite having been allies with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the constitutional amendment charter, the MHP criticized the committee’s draft report on the coup investigation, calling it “inconclusive.”

“While the report was drafted, it is ignored that the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization [FETÖ] existed for many years and established its strongest link with politics in recent years,” Erdoğan added. 

“It is known that prior to the coup attempt, serious resources from the municipalities were transferred to FETÖ. However, during the works of the commission, there were no operations or investigations done in municipalities,” Erdoğan said, adding that the transferring sources from some independent universities and setting up cadres in universities were also not investigated. 

Saying that the committee had not worked in its full term, Erdoğan added that “even though the committee decided to work for three days a week, some weeks it has not worked even one day.”