The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has prepared an indictment against journalist Ali Tarakcı, who was arrested over a social media post related to a fund scandal in which he claimed that “a very important minister will resign on Friday.”
Tarakcı faces charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information,” with prosecutors alleging that his post, which received 5.2 million views, had a negative impact on Turkey’s foreign exchange market.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has prepared an indictment against jailed journalist Ali Tarakcı on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” over a post on X in which he claimed that “a very important minister will resign on Friday.”
Prosecutors are seeking to have Tarakcı sentenced under Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code, a provision that criminalizes the public dissemination of misleading information.
Tarakcı was arrested on Sept. 26, 2026, over the post concerning a fund scandal and is being held at Sincan Prison in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.
Prosecutors seek central bank data on foreign exchange transactions
Tarakcı was arrested Sept. 26 as part of an investigation launched after his Sept. 23 social media post. The indictment alleges that the post, which received approximately 5.2 million views, had a negative impact on Turkey’s foreign exchange market.
As part of the investigation, prosecutors requested information from the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) about the post’s impact on financial markets.
In its Oct. 2 response, the central bank reported that net foreign exchange sales totaled approximately $6.24 billion between 6:08 p.m. and the end of the day on Sept. 23, after Tarakcı published his post at 6:05 p.m.
The bank also said net sales on Sept. 24 exceeded the average net sales figure recorded in September.
Prosecutors cited these figures to support their assessment that Tarakcı’s post had affected the foreign exchange market.
Tarakcı says he did not refer to any specific minister
The indictment also includes Tarakcı’s statement to prosecutors on Sept. 26, in which he acknowledged publishing the post but denied the charges against him.
Tarakcı said he was a journalist who sometimes used provocative language in his broadcasts about current affairs. He maintained that he had not referred to any specific minister in his post.
He said he had heard behind-the-scenes speculation that a prominent minister would resign but acknowledged that he had not obtained the information from a specific source. Instead, he said, he had combined various rumors before publishing the post.
Tarakcı said he could not have predicted whether his post would have economic consequences and rejected the accusation against him.
The indictment noted that Tarakcı’s X account had approximately 72,000 followers and that his post reached millions of people within a short period.
Prosecutors alleged that the post was intended to cause public anxiety and panic, arguing that it was capable of triggering economic instability.
They also maintained that the post was linked to transactions in the foreign exchange market and called for Tarakcı to be prosecuted under Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes the public dissemination of misleading information.
The indictment was submitted to an Ankara Criminal Court of First Instance for review.
