Turkish main opposition leader responds to Mayor Adams corruption case

 

Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has responded to the corruption allegations against New York City Mayor Eric Adams involving Turkish officials.

“Turkey is not a country that needs to resort to bribery,” Özel said, speaking in front of the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York on Sep. 26.

The Turkish House, which houses Turkey’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the New York Consulate General, has been mentioned in the indictment against Mayor Adams. The building’s opening process in September 2021 is now under scrutiny due to allegations of Adams intervening in the fire inspection process.

Özel: “If we received any gesture, we would have done more”

Özel, who is currently visiting New York, addressed questions about the investigation that implicates Turkish officials:

“The Republic of Turkey made an important gesture when the U.S. was attacked, and while building such a structure here, Turkey is not a country that needs to resort to bribery. We are not in such a state of desperation. Intending such a thing would not befit anyone representing the Republic of Turkey.”

The opposition leader defended Turkey’s actions, suggesting that any favorable treatment was part of normal diplomatic relations:

“If we received any gesture during the process of acquiring this building that we are all proud of, we would have done more for that magnificent area allocated to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. This cannot be measured in monetary terms; strong alliance relations would require this anyway.”

Özel’s comments come in the wake of federal prosecutors charging Mayor Adams with accepting over $100,000 worth of illegal gifts from Turkish citizens and “at least one Turkish government official.” The indictment alleges that Adams received luxury travel, hotel stays, and airline tickets from Turkish sources and accepted illegal campaign contributions for his 2021 mayoral campaign.