President Erdoğan sues CHP leader for 2 million liras over tax evasion claims
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sued main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, demanding 2 million Turkish Liras in compensation after he accused the president of evading tax.
In a press statement late Aug. 17 Ahmet Özel, Erdoğan’s lawyer, accused Kılıçdaroğlu of disseminating lies about Erdoğan’s assets abroad for evading tax in Turkey and announced that they took legal action against the CHP leader.
In an interview with daily Cumhuriyet on Aug. 17, Kılıçdaroğlu said Erdoğan and his family have bank accounts in the tax-free Man Island in order to not to pay taxes to Turkey. The CHP leader had brought this claim to the agenda of Turkey in the past as Erdoğan had sued him to pay compensation.
“We are sure that he will not be able to prove his claims as he could not in the past either,” Özel said, repeating that neither Erdoğan nor his family members have money abroad.
Kılıçdaroğlu responded to Erdoğan’s move on Twitter late Aug. 18. “Erdoğan who remained silent when the U.S. Congress said it will investigate his wealth has filed for a 2 million lira compensation when I called him on to bring his money home,” he said, suggesting that Erdoğan should instead sue the U.S. Congress for threatening him.
