HDP brings Pandora Papers into Turkey's Parliamentary agenda
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The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has brought the allegations mentioned in the "Pandora Papers" about Turkey into the Parliamentary agenda. HDP Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan has addressed a Parliamentary question to Minister of Treasury and Finance Lütfi Elvan about the papers revealed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
CLICK - Pandora Papers show how construction magnate who built Erdoğan's palace evaded tax payments
In his Parliamentary question, Garo Paylan has recalled that the names of thousands of politicians and businesspeople around the world transferring money to tax havens have been mentioned in the Pandora Papers, reminding the Minister of the allegations that there are 220 names from Turkey who also transferred money to tax havens to evade taxes:
In the Pandora Papers about Turkey, it is alleged that Ayşe Ilıcak, the mother of Erman Ilıcak, who is the boss of the Rönesans Holding, which has multiplied its wealth thanks to several large-scale public tenders, including Presidential palaces and city hospitals, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Virgin Islands in Britain.
Referring to the Panama Papers from the year 2016, Paylan has noted that several politicians around the world resigned due to the names mentioned in those papers and effective investigations were carried out in the related countries. The MP has raised concerns that the same effective investigations were not conducted in Turkey about the names revealed.
Questions
"The 'Pandora's Box' has once again opened for the ones transferring money to tax havens," Paylan has said and asked Minister of Treasury and Finance Elvan the following questions about the issue:
"Will you open the 'Pandora's Box' for the ones who transferred money to tax havens? Will you take any action to obtain information about the 220 names from Turkey mentioned in the Pandora Papers?
"Will you launch an investigation against the companies and people from Turkey mentioned in the Pandora Papers?
"Will you launch an investigation into the allegations that the money unfairly earned by pro-government contractors through public tenders was transferred to tax havens? Will you call on the Financial Crimes Investigation Bureau (MASAK) to fulfill its duty about the allegations raised in the Pandora Papers? Will you launch an investigation against the contractor who transferred the money that he had earned from the Palace to a tax haven?"
What happened?
Having leaked the Panama Papers five years before, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has recently leaked new papers, the so-called Pandora Papers. Over 600 journalists from 117 countries, with news reports published about 12 million papers, have revealed how the system of tax havens has been working.
The papers have disclosed the financial secrets of 35 current and former world leaders from 91 countries and regions, over 330 politicians and public officials, global fugitives and murderers. (KÖ/SD)