Prosecutor’s office demands ‘political ban’ for Muharrem İnce

* Photo: Archive / AA

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The prosecutor's office has pronounced its final opinion as to the accusations in the lawsuit filed against Homeland Party Chair Muharrem İnce in 2013, when he was the Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

As reported by Asuman Aranca from daily Sözcü, while İnce was attending a hearing of the Ergenekon case in İstanbul's Silivri district in 2013, a row broke out at court and İnce pushed a first lieutenant on duty in the courtroom while the lieutenant was trying to intervene.

A criminal complaint was filed against İnce over this incident. With a Constitutional amendment in 2016, the legislative immunity of Muharrem İnce was lifted and a lawsuit was filed against the politician.

Request for a 'political ban'

The indictment demanded up to 3 years in prison for Muharrem İnce on charge of "resisting to prevent the fulfilment of duty." At the last hearing of the case held in Silivri on July 1, 2021, the prosecutor's office pronounced its final opinion as to the accusations.

The prosecutor's office demanded that İnce be given a penalty on charge of "resisting to prevent a public official from fulfilling his or her duty".

The prosecutor's office also requested that a "political ban" be imposed on İnce as per the Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) and that the politician be deprived of his right to elect and to be elected.

Lawyer Çiçek: A historical disgrace

Commenting on this request, İnce's lawyer Mustafa Kemal Çiçek said that the court board hearing the Ergenekon case gave unlawful orders against the MPs following the hearings, which led to physical force.

The lawyer recalled that the court board hearing the Ergenekon case was then discharged from public service on charges related to the "Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)", which is held accountable for the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016.

"In the event that the request is accepted by the court board, the ruling to be handed down will go down in the Turkish political history as a disgrace," said İnce's lawyer Çiçek. (TP/SD)