Newspaper Denies 'Nylon Invoice' Allegations Made by Kılıçdaroğlu, Cites Error

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was appointed general chairman by court order, has publicly alleged that the CHP Malatya provincial branch paid between 10 to 20 million Turkish lira for approximately 40 newspapers, suggesting the use of fraudulent "nylon invoices."

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We removed a provincial chairman, and they gave 10-20 million lira for 40 newspapers. Tomorrow, friends will announce. Clearly, it's a nylon invoice. These things cannot happen. We will cleanse those who do not align with the party's ethics.

However, Battalgazi Gazetesi, the newspaper at the center of the controversy, has issued a statement clarifying the situation. The newspaper's owner, Erdal Öztürk, explained that an invoice issued on December 11, 2025, for 18 million Turkish lira (including 3 million lira in VAT) was an error. He stated that the unit price was incorrectly entered on the invoice, and this mistake was later discovered by the accounting firm.

Öztürk further elaborated that due to the expiration of the appeal period under the Tax Procedure Law, neither the newspaper nor the CHP Malatya Provincial Directorate processed the erroneous invoice. Instead, the CHP Malatya Provincial Directorate remitted the correct amount of 18,000 Turkish lira to Battalgazi Gazetesi via bank transfer, clearly identifying the incorrect invoice number. Öztürk emphasized that there was no payment of 18 million lira and no irregularity as portrayed in public statements.

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Satılmış called me last week regarding an invoice mistakenly issued on December 11, 2025. As I clearly stated to him, the unit price on the invoice was written incorrectly, and the error was later noticed by the financial advisor.

Despite Öztürk having explained the factual situation to Hakan Satılmış, the CHP Malatya provincial chairman appointed by the "absolute nullity management," Satılmış proceeded to make public statements about a "18 million lira invoice," misrepresenting the actual circumstances. Kılıçdaroğlu then amplified these claims, leading to the current public discussion.

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The CHP Malatya Provincial Directorate paid us the actual amount of 18,000 Turkish lira through the bank, specifying the number of the erroneous invoice. Therefore, there was no payment of 18 million lira, nor any irregularity as reflected in the public eye.