Afyon Opposition Leader Demands Parliamentary Probe Into 800 Billion Lira Fund Allegations

Üzeyir Aladağ, provincial chairman of the Anahtar Party in Afyonkarahisar, issued a written statement on Monday calling for a full investigation into alleged fund fraud and stock-market transactions. He specifically addressed AK Party lawmaker Ali Özkaya, who has said the fraud probe should be pursued to its conclusion.

Aladağ asked why Özkaya did not support the formation of a parliamentary research commission when the issue came before the Grand National Assembly. He argued that those who obstruct an investigation, not those who request it, must answer to the public.

“If you want it pursued to the end, why did you not show that will when a parliamentary research commission was put on the agenda?”

The opposition leader compared the alleged 800 billion lira sum to public budget figures. He said it is roughly five times the 160.5 billion lira education investment appropriation and about 4.6 times the approximately 173 billion lira allocated for health investments.

Aladağ stated that such an amount could fund thousands of schools and hospitals, ease farmers’ production burden, create job opportunities for young people, improve retirees’ lives, and strengthen the country’s production infrastructure. He demanded answers on where the money was held, which funds and transactions were involved, who profited and who lost, and who bears responsibility.

He also called for the alleged irregularities on the stock exchange and in securities trading to be examined together with the fund investigation, rather than limiting the probe to certain transactions.

Afyon Türkeli Gazetesi noted that the 800 billion lira figure is an allegation in Aladağ’s statement and has not been verified as a confirmed fraud amount or state loss.