ANKARA (Medyascope) – Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman and Turkey’s main opposition leader Özgür Özel made a major announcement Tuesday (March 17), taking aim at new Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek.
By Özgecan Özgenç • Medyascope
In his speech, Özel claimed that Gürlek possesses vast assets totalling some 452 million Turkish Liras ($10.2 million), consisting largely of expensive properties in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
Akın Gürlek, who previously served as Istanbul Chief Prosecutor, was promoted to Justice Minister in February 2026. Gürlek is an enormously controversial figure in the Turkish judiciary, responsible for opening investigations and ordering detentions of opposition figures that critics argue are politically motivated. Among the many indictments prepared by Gürlek during his time in Istanbul is a case seeking a 2400-year prison sentence for imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Gürlek’s promotion to the Justice Ministry last month by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was seen by many critics as proof of the erosion of judicial independence in Turkey.
According to Özel’s allegations, Gürlek’s 452 million TL fortune consists of 126.5 million TL in properties that were recently sold. Seeming to question the source of the Justice Minister’s wealth, Özel said:
“In 19 years, he seems to have saved up enough money to buy these properties which would require working at the Istanbul Prosecutors Office for 190 years.”
Alleged Gürlek properties:
| Type | Property | Location | Qty | Value (TL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owned | Avrupa Konutları apartments | Kartal, Istanbul | 2 | 52,500,000 |
| Owned | Villa-type residence | Beykoz, Istanbul | 1 | 85,000,000 |
| Owned | Isparta Kura Bizim Evler | Firuzköy, Avcılar, Istanbul | 1 | 15,500,000 |
| Owned | Marine City 2nd Stage | Tuzla Center, Istanbul | 1 | 10,000,000 |
| Owned | Park Joven | Çankaya, Ankara | 1 | 35,500,000 |
| Owned | VIP Tower Beytepe Project | Lodumlu, Ankara | 1 | 25,000,000 |
| Owned | Mahal Beytepe | Lodumlu, Ankara | 1 | 17,500,000 |
| Owned | Mira Residence Beytepe | Lodumlu, Ankara | 1 | 23,000,000 |
| Owned | Mahal Bomonti units | Halkapınar, Konak, İzmir | 2 | 54,000,000 |
| Owned | Sea & strait view property | Gelibolu, Çanakkale | 1 | 7,500,000 |
| Transferred | Liv Residence | Esenyurt, Istanbul | 1 | 7,750,000 |
| Transferred | Tema Istanbul | Halkalı, Istanbul | 1 | 43,500,000 |
| Transferred | Acıbadem Residences | Altunizade, Üsküdar, Istanbul | 1 | 47,500,000 |
| Transferred | Beytepe property | Çankaya, Ankara | 1 | 27,750,000 |
| Total | 452,000,000 | |||
Prior to Özel’s remarks, a message was sent to members of the parliament from Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) inviting them to watch the CHP chairman’s statement.
Following Gürlek’s February promotion to lead the Justice Ministry, Özel had issued a public call for him to release information on his wealth and assets.
Gürlek denies Özel’s allegations
In a Tuesday afternoon social media post, Gürlek denied the claims being made by Özel regarding his wealth and assets, saying:
“The unfounded claims made by Özgür Özel against me today are a clear attempt to manipulate public opinion. Throughout my 20-year career, I have regularly made asset declarations to the relevant authorities in line with legal requirements…This is part of a systematic smear campaign and is consistent with other misleading statements made by Mr Özel in the past. If inconsistencies do indeed exist, they should be addressed in the judicial and not in the political arena. In response to this slander, I am immediately initiating the necessary legal proceedings, including seeking compensation for libel damages.”
Claims of corruption in Turkish politics
For years, members of Turkey’s opposition have made claims of corruption in the ruling AKP, alleging vast clientalist networks fed by a patronage system benefiting those close to the regime.
During his 2023 presidential campaign against Erdoğan, then-CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made claims alleging that a group of holding companies nicknamed ‘the Gang of Five’ were frequent recipients of lucrative tenders and contracts due to their closeness to the AKP government.
An ongoing trial targeting Istanbul’s opposition-controlled municipal government claims ‘organized criminal activity’ by numerous senior officials including alleged bribery, tender-rigging, and money laundering. Critics have argued the charges are politically motivated.
Turkish opposition chair announces exposé of assets allegedly belonging to new Justice Minister | Written/translated by Leo Kendrick for Medyascope
