Mafia boss indicted for threats against Turkey’s main opposition leader

Prosecutors in Ankara have drafted an indictment for notorious Turkish mafia boss Alaattin Çakıcı on charges of insulting and threatening a public official due to his remarks targeting main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, according to Kılıçdroğlu’s lawyer.

“Finally! An indictment has been drafted against Alaattin Çakıcı due to his threats and insults targeting our party’s chairman. As we said before, we’ll make sure he is punished,” tweeted Kılıçdaroğlu’s lawyer Celal Çelik.

Kılıçdaroğlu received a threat from Çakıcı in November after slamming the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government for releasing him from prison.

After criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent promise of reforms to fix the problems in Turkey’s economy and judiciary, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “Does this mean you’ll stop releasing mafia leaders and drug traffickers from prison while putting ‘thought criminals’ behind bars?” clearly referring to Çakıcı’s release in April 2020.

The mafia boss, known for his ties to Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and election ally of the AKP government, had been convicted of establishing and leading a criminal organization, ordering a murder, instigating assault and insulting President Erdoğan.

Following Bahçeli’s call for a general amnesty, specifically citing Çakıcı, the mob boss was released on April 16 as part of an amnesty drafted by the government to free up to one-third of Turkey’s prison population to ease overcrowding during the coronavirus pandemic while excluding political prisoners.

The 67-year-old mob boss told CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu to “watch his step” in a handwritten statement released on Twitter in November.

“Look, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, traitors may incite you by [utilizing] the psychology of the masses. But they won’t be by your side when you are in trouble. That’s why I’m telling you to watch your step,’’ Çakıcı said in a four-page message.

The CHP leader subsequently filed a complaint against Çakıcı with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The post Mafia boss indicted for threats against Turkey’s main opposition leader appeared first on Turkish Minute.

from Turkish Minute https://www.turkishminute.com/2021/02/03/mafia-boss-indicted-for-threats-against-turkeys-main-opposition-leader/