Turkish prosecutors investigate leading business group chair over critical remarks

Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into top business group TÜSİAD's Ömer Aras over his remarks on governance and oversight failures. Justice Minister Tunç accused him of "attempting to influence the judiciary" after Aras criticized systemic issues and recent political developments.

Friday February 14 2025 05:00 pm

Duvar English

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Feb. 14 launched an investigation into Mehmet Ömer Arif Aras, the Chair of the High Advisory Council of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD).

In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the investigation into Aras concerned "his allegedly false, public peace-disrupting statements, on charges of attempting to influence fair trial proceedings and publicly disseminating false information.”

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç described Aras’s statements as “an attempt to influence the judiciary and politics” and "incompatible with the rule of law."

"No body, authority, position, or individual can give orders or instructions to courts and judges in exercising judicial authority, send directives, or even make recommendations or suggestions,” he maintained.

Ömer Aras on Feb. 13 opened his speech at the TÜSİAD General Assembly with the remark, “As a country, we are demoralized. We are experiencing a crisis of confidence.”

Referring to the Kartalkaya fire disaster, which claimed 78 lives, Aras said, “Fires may happen, but 78 people should not die. If they do, it is because of poorly constructed buildings and a lack of oversight. It reflects a collapsed system.”

Aras argued that negligence and disregard for rules focused on cost reduction, combined with insufficient oversight, were the main causes of such incidents in Turkey.

“The root cause of these deaths is a dysfunctional system. It’s a system run by business owners who prioritize cost over safety, public administrators sitting in undeserved positions, and private-sector executives who implement such a system."

Aras maintained that improvements were only possible when the responsible stepped down and were replaced with qualified individuals.

Aras also addressed recent "extraordinary developments" in political life, referring to the ousting of elected mayors, trustee appointments, and arrests of journalists.

“We cannot say whether there is guilt in these incidents. However, we can say that the sequence of these events in such a short period has created anxiety and shaken public confidence,” Aras concluded.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel commented, saying that the investigation confirmed TÜSİAD's statements.

“TÜSİAD is not saying anything new. We all say this; unions say this. Now, a business association has spoken. Which of these incidents they mentioned hasn’t happened? From the right to life to judicial independence, where are they wrong?”

Opposition İYİ (Good) Party Chair Musavat Dervişoğlu urged government officials "composure" when handling criticism.

“There are times when both political institutions and governance mechanisms need to be reminded of their responsibilities. Civil society naturally fulfills this role. In a country where democracy exists, political figures must approach such criticism with tolerance. Displays of power like ‘Nobody can criticize me’ are unacceptable,” he said.