Audit reports of Turkey Wealth Fund labeled as 'classified'

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The parliament's Planning and Budget Committee has discussed the audit reports concerning the 2019 financial statements of Turkey's sovereign fund.

An argument started between opposition members and the committee head after it was seen that the reports handed out to lawmakers were labeled as "classified."

While Good (İYİ) Party deputies later quit the meeting, opposition members were not able to get an explanation about whether publicizing or reporting on the documents would be considered a crime.

"There is a blackout, a blackout of inspection. This can be discussed only after the 'classified' label is lifted," said İYİ Party's Erhan Usta before leaving the hall.

Members of the Turkey Wealth Fund (TWF) should have also attended the meeting, he added.

A committee member from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Bülent Kuşoğlu, said designating the documents as "classified" is not under the authority of the State Supervisory Council, which carried out the audit, but the parliament.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Garo Paylan said, "We should know whether I would have committed a crime if I shared the content of this. A public agency with the principle of transparency cannot have an audit report labeled as 'classified'."

He also asked whether reporting on the documents would be considered an offense for journalists. After a lengthy debate, he gave the report to a journalist.

In response to criticism, Cemal Öztürk from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said the label was a part of the "routine procedure" and he wouldn't consider the reports confidential unless such a decision was taken by the parliament.

What to be considered as confidential at the parliamentary talks are determined by the parliament's internal regulations and other legislation, he added.

After the debate, İYİ Party deputies left the hall and TWF General Director Mustafa Sönmez started the presentation of the report.

The fund's capital was about 33 billion dollars and its debt was 1 billion Euro in 2019, said Sönmez.

"TWF uses credits for only its investments. It is not a structure that wants to fund the state's budget in any way," he said. "We are working to design the Turkey Wealth Fund as an arm of the state that makes investments." (HA/VK)