Turkey's justice minister told an opposition lawmaker during a parliamentary budget hearing that he would have been taken into custody were he not a sitting deputy, according to Cumhuriyet. The exchange took place on Monday at the Turkish Grand National Assembly's Plan and Budget Committee, which was reviewing the Justice Ministry's 2027 spending plans. The session, the first committee appearance for Akın Gürlek since he was appointed to the post on 11 February, was marked by repeated friction between government and opposition members.
Cumhuriyet reports that Gürlek directed the remark at Turan Taşkın Özer of the YENİ Party, saying his home would have been searched and that he had "carried the money that day." The minister also described Özer as a lawyer for Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Istanbul mayor. The article does not record any response from Özer to those specific allegations.
Why it matters
The confrontation puts a spotlight on parliamentary immunity, the legal shield that protects sitting deputies from prosecution, and on how far a minister is willing to go in open session. According to Cumhuriyet, Gürlek went further, challenging Özer to have both his own immunity and the minister's lifted, asking whether he was willing. The İhlas Haber Ajansı headline carried the same challenge.
The hearing also came as the ministry faces scrutiny over a large investigation that Gürlek described in his presentation. Cumhuriyet reports that as of 9 November 2026 the inquiry involves 464 suspects, with 120 in pre-trial detention and 262 under judicial control measures. Arrest warrants have been issued for 40 suspects who remain at large, and asset freezes and bank account blocks have been applied to 386 individuals and 116 legal entities, according to the same account. Gürlek said about 31.5 billion Turkish liras in cash, property and shares had been returned through a voluntary restitution account run by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).
How the session escalated
Tension was present from the start. Cumhuriyet reports that YENİ Party deputies left the room as Gürlek entered so as not to shake his hand, then returned once the greetings were over. Opposition members interjected at points during his opening remarks.
The dispute over a fund list sharpened the mood. Gökhan Günaydın, the YENİ Party's parliamentary group deputy chair, questioned references to 60 deputies and 30 ministers, asking where the matter was heading. Yaşar Kırkpınar of the ruling AKP replied by asking whether anyone was holding Günaydın back, according to Cumhuriyet. Odatv reported that the hearing saw a protest against Gürlek by YENİ Party members and that a fight broke out among deputies.
Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu of the DEM Party pressed the minister on unanswered parliamentary questions, saying not a single one of his motions had received a reply. Cumhuriyet reports that 1,543 written questions have been submitted to the Assembly presidency seeking answers from Gürlek. Of those, 1,346 are listed as not answered in the official records, while 197 remain within the 15-day response window.
Gürlek defended the investigation's reach, saying that as it deepens it is tracing connections beyond market actors. No one's office, title, economic power or relationships place them above the law, he said, adding that no crime would go unpunished. He said a Fund Coordination Committee chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz is tracking the economic and administrative side of the matter so that capital markets, the financial system and the economy are not harmed, and that public prosecutors are conducting the inquiries independently.
Other exchanges in the room
Gürlek thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in connection with the ongoing second phase of the "resolution process," a reference to the government's Kurdish peace initiative. Selçuk Türkoğlu of the İYİ Party challenged him on the status of Abdullah Öcalan, asking who had authorized a change and whether laws or the constitution had been amended. Gürlek said he would explain and asked for time, according to Cumhuriyet.
Separately, birgun.net reported that Gürlek addressed a question involving Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, saying that no one is being shielded. Evrensel.net reported that Sevda Karaca told the minister he was standing not at the podium but in the defendant's chair.
Günaydın, opening for the opposition after the minister's presentation, raised questions about Gürlek's earlier work at the state mining company Eti Maden while he was a deputy minister, according to Cumhuriyet.
The committee's review of the ministry's 2027 budget is expected to continue, with the fund-list dispute and the immunity challenge likely to carry into the next round of hearings.
