Turkish ruling party slams main opposition claims

By Sefa Mutlu and Ismail Ozdemir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Wednesday rebuffed claims by the main opposition party leader.

Mahir Unal, the party spokesman, said that Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s claims about Turkish ministers, mainly the defense and interior ministers and the National Intelligence Organization chief were total fabrication.

“He [Kilicdaroglu] is trying to escape the internal chaos within his party,” Unal said.

Reminding him to pay fine for his claim against the Turkish president, he added that Kilicdaroglu is repeatedly giving statements against Turkish institutions.

“Nevertheless, we will not allow him to intrude in our political agenda,” he said.

A court in Istanbul ordered Kilicdaroglu to pay a total of 359,000 Turkish liras (around $75,000) for immaterial damages to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and individuals close to him, by accusing him of making illicit money transfers to the Isle of Man, a British crown dependency.

Also, Turkish prosecutors in the capital Ankara have launched an investigation into the main opposition party leader over allegedly insulting Erdogan by posting a cartoon on social media.