Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on allegations of insult after he publicly accused İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek of working illegally at a state-run company, Turkish Minute reported on Thursday, citing the Cumhuriyet daily.
Özel made the accusation during a rally in İstanbul’s Ümraniye district on Wednesday, part of the CHP’s ongoing “Defending the National Will” series of protests, which the party has held nationwide since March in response to the mass arrest of its mayors and officials.
Citing official trade records from Luxembourg, Özel claimed that Gürlek served as a board member of Etimine S.A., the Luxembourg-based subsidiary of Turkey’s state-owned Eti Maden mining company, between November 2024 and August 2025, despite laws prohibiting prosecutors from holding other paid positions. He alleged that Gürlek received a salary from the company during that period.
“Does the justice minister or the president know that [Gürlek] was drawing a salary from Eti Maden’s Luxembourg branch while in office?” Özel asked during the rally. “If they do, how can he still be in his job? If they don’t, what will they do now?”
Addressing Gürlek directly, Özel said: “You earned income through a company making decisions in a language you don’t even speak. Will you resign tomorrow morning or not?”
During his speech Özel also criticized the summoning of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s father and son for questioning as part of the ongoing probes, accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of “targeting families.”
“Shame on you and your tyranny. From now on, control your dogs that come after us. If you keep coming for us, you’ll face an even harsher response,” he said.
Following the speech the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced a criminal investigation into Özel on allegations of “insulting the president” and “insulting a public official” for his remarks about both Erdoğan and Gürlek.
Hours later, Özel responded on social media, writing, “Do your worst. I will not back down.” He added, addressing the president, “Out of respect for animals, I won’t repeat my earlier words — but tell those around you to stay in their lane.”
The CHP leader had referred to Gürlek as a “mobile guillotine” and the “killer of justice” in 2024, criticizing his record on politically charged cases — including a two-year sentence handed down to journalist Barış Terkoğlu based on a complaint filed by Gürlek himself, as well as the indictment against Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer. In March 2025 a Turkish court ordered Özel to pay 480,000 lira ($11,400) in non-pecuniary damages to Gürlek over those remarks.
Gürlek, a former judge notorious for rulings against government critics, was appointed İstanbul chief public prosecutor in October 2024 after serving as deputy justice minister. He previously presided over several high-profile cases against opposition politicians, journalists and activists.
The investigation into Özel comes amid what the CHP describes as a “judicial coup” against local democracy following its sweeping victory in the March 2024 local elections.
In an October report titled “Judiciary Against the Ballot Box: The Anatomy of a Coup,” the party said the government had weaponized the courts to reverse opposition gains. According to the report, 16 CHP mayors remain behind bars, while 13 municipalities have been placed under government-appointed trustees.
Hundreds of party members, including mayors and municipal employees, have been detained on corruption or terrorism-related allegations. The government denies political motivation, insisting the investigations are conducted in line with the law.
İmamoğlu, the CHP’s 2028 presidential candidate and Erdoğan’s main political rival, faces multiple investigations and was sentenced to more than two years in prison and barred from politics in December 2022 for allegedly insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK). He was later convicted in July of “insulting and threatening a public prosecutor” involved in the crackdown on his party — a case linked to Gürlek.
He was arrested in March 2025 on corruption and espionage-related charges. His detention, which occurred on the same day he was officially nominated, sparked nationwide protests unseen since the 2013 Gezi Park demonstrations.
