A lawsuit filed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's former lawyer against journalist Furkan Karabay was dismissed on procedural grounds, with the court ruling it lacked jurisdiction.
The second hearing of the 250,000 TL moral damages lawsuit, filed by Mustafa Doğan İnal against Furkan Karabay, was held at the Istanbul 32nd Civil Court of First Instance. Karabay did not attend, but his lawyer, Özge Naz Akkaya, was present.
Attorney Mehmet İnal argued that his client, Mustafa Doğan İnal, had his personal rights violated and requested the court to accept the lawsuit.
However, Akkaya objected to the court's jurisdiction. She pointed out that Karabay had been acquitted in a related case by the Istanbul 51st Criminal Court of First Instance and requested the court to obtain the file from that case.
The court dismissed the lawsuit on procedural grounds, ruling that the appropriate court to hear the case was the Istanbul Anatolian Civil Court of First Instance.
Background on the case
The case originated from a complaint filed by Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor İsmail Uçar to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), alleging that decisions for access bans and releases were being sold at the Anatolian Courthouse. On November 2, 2023, Furkan Karabay posted about these allegations on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
In his post, Karabay claimed that Mustafa Doğan İnal, Bilal Erdoğan, and Metin Güneş were regulars at the Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse, where it was alleged that access bans and release decisions were being issued for money.
Following this post, Mustafa Doğan İnal filed a 250,000 TL moral damages lawsuit against Karabay, alleging an unjust attack on his rights.
