Turkish opposition deputies donate to help chairman

Fined for making false claims about Turkey's president, CHP chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu owes some $150,000 in damages

By Meltem Ozturk

ANKARA (AA) - Members of Turkey’s main opposition party are pooling their resources to help their chairman, who owes money after being convicted of making false claims about the nation’s president.

In a series of lawsuits over false claims about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his relatives, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kilicdaroglu owes some 828,000 Turkish liras ($150,000) in damages.

The CHP parliamentary group on Wednesday decided that its lawmakers would transfer 5,000 Turkish liras ($903) from their quarterly salaries to help Kilicdaroglu.

"We're ready to pay the price of the rulings on the CHP chairman," Engin Ozkoc, the party’s deputy parliamentary group head, told reporters.

Ozkoc added that they made the decision without consulting or informing Kilicdaroglu.

Turkish lawmakers are paid 60,938 Turkish liras ($11,180) every three months.

The CHP, which holds 142 seats in the 600-seat parliament, also hopes to convince party members to donate, said Ozkoc.

Kaynak: