SP Deputy Atmaca: Bursa Industrialist Paid 30 Million TL Bribe to Enter Stock Exchange

Saadet Party Bursa Deputy Mehmet Atmaca has alleged that a Bursa industrialist paid a member of parliament 30 million TL — approximately 600,000 dollars — in bribes in exchange for expediting bureaucratic procedures at the Capital Markets Board (CMB).

According to Atmaca's allegation, the industrialist, who had submitted a listing application to the stock exchange, escalated the matter to a lawmaker after being unable to navigate the bureaucracy. Atmaca further alleged that former CMB Chair Ömer Gönül, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, and AKP Bursa Deputy Refik Özen were also aware of the process.

Atmaca stated, "An investigation must be opened. The prosecutor should question me; the bribe recipient is known."

The allegation was published in a column by local journalist Yüksel Baysal; however, Baysal removed the article from the website shortly thereafter. The CMB last came to public attention in 2023 during an investigation into board members. Atmaca announced he would bring up the matter from the floor of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.