Erdogan accuses top Turkish business group of political meddling
World
He was speaking to his ruling AK Party in the parliament
ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan accused Turkey's top business association, TUSIAD, of meddling in politics and undermining the government on Wednesday, piling pressure on a group already being investigated over an executive's remarks on democracy.
Speaking to his ruling AK Party in the parliament, Erdogan said TUSIAD had "overstepped" and he dismissed it as a remnant of the past that had thrived on economic privilege and political influence.
"TUSIAD's mentality is a symbol of weak governments in Turkey's past (and it is) full of businessmen who have grown under the shadow of unfair profits and privileges at the expense of the nation," he said.
"They once dictated politics through newspaper headlines. We put an end to that. We did not recognize any power above the will of the people," he said, accusing the group of fueling political instability and attempting to pressure the government.
TUSIAD executive Omer Aras, who is the chairman of QNB's Turkish banking unit, last week criticised a government crackdown on dissenting figures, saying the probes into opposition leaders and journalists had shaken trust and damaged democracy.
In response, a prosecutor's office opened an investigation into his remarks, prompting a drop in Istanbul-listed stocks.
On Wednesday, Istanbul's prosecutors' office expanded the probe to include TUSIAD President Orhan Turhan, citing his statements at the group's general assembly as "misleading and disruptive to public order."
A statement on Wednesday from the Istanbul prosecutor's office said Aras and Turhan were under investigation for "attempting to influence a fair trial" and "publicly spreading misleading information," and that authorities had ordered them to appear for questioning.
TUSIAD, whose members account for 85% of Turkey's foreign trade and 80% of the country's corporate tax revenue, said on Tuesday it was working for national interests.
It did not address the investigation into Aras directly and did not immediately comment on Erdogan's remarks.
Erdogan said his government has raised per-capita income, built roads and spread prosperity since coming to power more than two decades ago. "As long as we are in power, no one will bring back the old system where a handful of elites siphoned off state resources," he said.
Opposition lawmakers have faced a wave of arrests, detentions and probes in the last few months that critics say aim to silence dissent and weaken Erdogan's rivals' electoral prospects. The government dismisses this accusation and says the judiciary is independent.
