Summary of proceedings seeks to lift legislative immunity of İYİ Party’s Türkkan
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The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has issued a summary of proceedings against İYİ Party Kocaeli MP Lütfü Türkkan.
After facing huge backlash, especially from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), for swearing at a citizen in Bingöl province, Türkkan resigned from office as the İYİ Party Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair upon the request of İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener.
The Parliamentary Crimes Bureau of the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office has issued a summary of proceedings against him for "insult" and "battery" and requested that Türkkan be put on trial with his legislative immunity lifted. The summary has been sent to the Justice Ministry.
The process of summary of proceedings
As reported by BBC Türkçe, the summary of proceedings will be first submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Parliament), then, together with around 1,360 other summaries, to the Parliament's Joint Commission on Constitution and Justice. The Commission has the authority to bring forward any summary of proceedings regardless of the agenda.
If, politically, a decision is given to bring forward the summary of proceedings against İYİ Party's Lütfü Türkkan, a preparation commission will be established within the body of the commission and this commission will issue its report within a month. If this commission expresses a decision in favor of lifting the legislative immunity of Türkkan, the summary of proceedings will be voted at the General Assembly of the Parliament.
If the General Assembly decides to lift his immunity, Türkkan will be put on trial for "insult" and "battery". If he is convicted in the trial and this conviction is upheld by the Court of Cassation, stripping him of his MP status will be the case. After the final ruling is read out at the General Assembly of the Parliament, Türkkan will be automatically stripped of his MP status.
What happened?
Lütfü Türkkan, the then Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair of the opposition İYİ Party, first embraced, then swore at Tahir Gürmen, a citizen who protested and accused İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener of acting together with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
Türkkan's treatment of Gürmen, reportedly "the relative of a martyred soldier", sparked public reactions on social media. In response to this, Türkkan posted a video and apologized to his party and the public.
However, upon ongoing reactions, Türkkan resigned from office as the İYİ Party Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair upon the request of İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener, as he indicated in his letter of resignation.
Amid requests for his resignation from the membership of the Parliament as well, the İYİ Party did not refer Türkkan to the disciplinary board or urge him to resign "as he had apologized" for his behavior.
In his address to the public following the Presidential cabinet meeting on Monday (November 8), President and ruling AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also said that "his resignation was not enough," indicating that "he no longer had a place under the roof of the Parliament."
"We will use all political and legal means to ensure that this person pays the highest prices, including the termination of his membership of the Parliament," Erdoğan targeted Türkkan further. (TP/SD)