Ali Babacan

In January 2023, Babacan stated that a future government would examine competition conditions and the advantages allegedly enjoyed by Baykar, a company run by the family of Erdoğan's son-in-law, while praising drone exports. Erdoğan denounced a "despicable attack" on the defence industry.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Babacan advocated a more inclusive rewriting of Article 66 of the Constitution concerning citizenship, a proposal that provoked a fierce attack from Devlet Bahçeli and controversy over Turkish identity and the constitutional definition of the nation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Babacan maintained that Erdoğan's candidacy in the 2023 presidential election was unconstitutional and announced that DEVA would lodge an objection with the Supreme Election Council.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following the 2023 parliamentary elections, DEVA obtained 15 seats through candidates elected on CHP lists under the opposition alliance. The agreement triggered considerable internal and external controversy, with some CHP voters believing they had handed seats to small parties; Babacan defended the political legitimacy of the arrangement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In the controversy surrounding Şehir University, Erdoğan named Ali Babacan among former government members involved in the decision to transfer land and made serious political allegations concerning the alleged harm to Halkbank.

State of the evidence

Alleged