Justice Minister Gürlek Reports 464 Suspects in Fund Investigations

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek presented the Justice Ministry's 2027 budget proposal to the Turkish Grand National Assembly's Plan and Budget Commission on November 9, 2026. Gürlek stated that 464 suspects are involved in fund investigations, 120 people are in detention, and 262 individuals are subject to judicial control measures.

The minister said approximately 31.5 billion lira in cash, real estate, and shares had been returned through the voluntary return account under the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund. The ministry's 2027 budget proposal allocates 524 billion 692 million 545 thousand lira.

Gürlek emphasized that access to justice and public trust in the judiciary are fundamental goals. He stated that no one is above the law and that judicial independence remains the most important value the ministry protects under all conditions.

Addressing fund-related crimes, Gürlek said the ministry is determined to combat illegal operations targeting the national economy and citizens' savings. He added that investigations examine cash movements, financial connections, and asset transfers based on concrete evidence, and that scrutiny extends beyond market actors to oversight mechanisms.

The commission session began with protests. DEM Party MPs placed photos of former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ in the commission rows, while YENİ Party MPs displayed photos of the Kartalkaya hotel fire, which killed 78 people, alongside images of detained Manisa provincial party chairman İlksen Özalper and detained Manisa Metropolitan Municipality deputy mayor Demirhan Gözaçan. YENİ Party MPs left the hall at the opening to avoid shaking hands with Gürlek but returned during his presentation.

Gürlek entered the hall at 11:04 and delivered a 30-minute budget presentation. He stated that judicial independence is protected under all conditions and that legal and constitutional reforms have strengthened the judiciary over the past 24 years. He also described FETÖ as a cancer cell that had spread through the justice system and said the system had been cleansed of coup plotters.