Public TV TRT Haber on Tuesday stopped broadcasting a speech delivered by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu when he started to explain documents concerning money transactions made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s close circle to an offshore company, the Evensel daily reported.
Video footage shows TRT Haber halting the broadcast of Kılıçdaroğlu’s speech when he says that “now is the time to open the box,” meaning to explain the details of the transactions.
Testing President Erdoğan’s challenge that he would resign if anyone were to reveal any documents proving allegations that he has money in offshore tax havens, Kılıçdaroğlu said during his party meeting in Parliament that Erdoğan’s brother-in-law, brother, son and son’s father-in-law and his former executive assistant sent about $15 million to an offshore company called Bellway Limited on the Isle of Mann between December 2011 and January 2012.
In response Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) İstanbul deputy Metin Külünk said Kılıçdaroğlu had became a national security issue.
Ahmet Özel, a lawyer for President Erdoğan, stated that the documents referred to by Kılıçdaroğlu are fake and called on the CHP leader to submit documents to the prosecutor’s office today.