Bill proposed by Turkey’s AKP seeks to give Erdoğan authority to freeze assets
Turkey’s ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) has proposed a bill that would allow President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan to freeze the assets of people and organizations
included on the United Nations Security Council Consolidated List (UN Sanctions
List) and the assets of individuals linked to them, Turkish Minute reported,
citing the Birgün daily.
The proposal was drafted in
order to “fight against the laundering of assets obtained through criminal
acts, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction.”
The proposed bill stipulates
that an inspection and cooperation commission, consisting of representatives
from Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), the Justice
Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Trade Ministry, be established
to advise the president.
The proposal also seeks to
expand the powers of the Interior Ministry to include the authority to “suspend
the activities of associations” and “dismiss their boards.”
If the proposal becomes law,
the ministry will have the authority to suspend the activities of associations
and their boards as a precautionary measure in the event they are accused of
financing terrorism or laundering money obtained through drug trafficking.
The bill further includes
measures against people who launch online aid campaigns without an official
permit. When such cases are detected, the relevant governor’s office or the
Interior Ministry will have the authority to demand that access to the online
content be blocked.
The judge who receives the
demand will be able to block access to the content without holding a hearing.
The proposal also seeks to
limit the number of associations that provide financial aid to people outside
Turkey, and those associations allowed to do it will have to report their activities
to the relevant bodies of the government.
