Nicosia, Cyprus. Former Turkish Cypriot chief negotiator Kudret Ozersay said he reported the north’s “parliament speaker” Ziya Ozturkler to police over allegations he coerced university officials to award degree certificates to political allies under false pretences.
Police complaint and immunity remarks
Ozersay said in a video posted on social media that he had filed the complaint and that he believed Ozturkler, who has said he would not hide behind parliamentary immunity, would voluntarily provide a statement to police if requested as part of an investigation linked to the complaint.
Ozersay said he had previously been asked by Turkish Cypriot police to give a statement in a different investigation while he was a sitting “MP” and the north’s “foreign minister,” and that he had done so. He said parliamentary membership and immunity do not prevent a person from giving a statement to police or sharing information, documents, or correspondence.
Opposition calls for resignation
Calls for Ozturkler to resign continued, with opposition party CTP’s Urun Solyali becoming the latest member of the Turkish Cypriot legislature to call on him to relinquish his duties.
Solyali said investigative authorities and the judiciary would examine whether a crime was committed, while politics must also consider whether the office can be held under the allegations. He said the parliament speaker’s role is not an ordinary position and represents the legislature, including impartiality, pluralism, seriousness, and public trust.
Solyali said insisting on remaining in office while facing serious allegations is not a defence of the presumption of innocence but turns the office into a personal line of defence and pulls both parliament and democracy into the centre of debate. He added that remaining in the seat during the judicial process is not respect for the judiciary but using the position as a shield.
He said resigning is not an admission of guilt and that in developed democracies it is a requirement of responsibility to protect the institution and democratic processes, adding that refusing to step aside is ethical blindness and political stubbornness.
Do you think a parliamentary speaker should resign while allegations are being investigated?
