Agenda

Erdoğan’s remarks on fund fraud scandal draw a standing ovation

Addressing the fund fraud scandal, in which Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya’s name has also been mentioned, President Erdoğan said he and his colleagues would do whatever was necessary. He said moral principles were the sole anchor of his party’s politics. His remarks received a standing ovation.

Speaking to AK Party members of parliament at the opening meeting of the legislative year at the AK Party Congress Centre, President Erdoğan made notable comments about the fund fraud scandal. “Let no one despair. Let no one lose heart. Neither our beloved nation nor our esteemed organisation should ever lose hope,” Erdoğan said. “Above all, their trust in us must never be shaken. No one should fall under the influence of smear campaigns. Such propaganda cannot affect our morality, our faith or our conscience. Let no one have any concerns about that. We owe no debt of obligation to anyone other than this beloved nation. Praise be to God! We owe our lives to Almighty God. With God’s permission, we owe no mortal anything—God willing. Gossip, rumours, allegations, slander, accusations, all kinds of scenarios. Let no one worry. Tayyip Erdoğan and his fellow campaigners will do whatever is necessary, and have no doubt that they will. I repeat: the sole anchor of our politics is morality. This party has never left that anchorage, and it never will.” Here are Erdoğan’s comments about the fund scandal: “My beloved nation, my valued companions. While closely following developments in the real economy, we are also taking charge of the problem that has emerged in a particular part of the investment fund market. With great determination, we are taking the necessary steps one by one. First of all, this matter has a legal dimension. The judiciary is already doing what needs to be done on that dimension, in coordination with our other institutions, within the framework of our Constitution, our laws and our capital markets legislation. Let everyone know that those who violate the people’s rights, secure unjust gains, and engage in greed and fraud will answer both to Turkish courts in this world and to the Creator at the Last Judgement. There is, of course, also an economic dimension. All relevant bodies, led by our economic administration, are monitoring the matter very carefully, taking precautions and implementing the steps needed for financial markets to emerge from this crisis stronger and healthier. “TO RETURN OUR CITIZENS’ SAVINGS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...” “We are following the implications for investors just as closely. We are putting the necessary administrative and legal processes in motion to return our citizens’ savings as soon as possible without placing a burden on the public. The first item on the agenda of our Fund Coordination Board, established under the chairmanship of our vice-president, is to resolve this matter. Our board will work intensively and swiftly overcome this problem, which has unfairly cast a shadow over our capital markets. Those are our instructions to them. Our State Supervisory Council is also examining every aspect of the matter. We will not overlook even the slightest negligence, illegality or breach of the rules there either.”