Ankara 6th Administrative Court asked TÜİK to submit all information and documents used in inflation calculation to the court.

A surprise decision came from the court for millions of retirees and employees who were dragged into hunger and poverty due to the low inflation of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).

Honorary Member of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Seyfettin Çilesiz, stated that the TÜİK inflation used in salary increases was below the real inflation and asked TÜİK to recalculate the inflation in the first 6 months of this year, and when there was no response, he filed a lawsuit against TÜİK.

The Ankara 6th Administrative Court, which discussed the case, decided to receive a defense from TURKSTAT and to submit all the documents and information used in the inflation calculation to the court.

30 DAYS TO TURKSTAT

The court, which made its decision unanimously, gave TÜİK 30 days to make its defense and disclose the documents. Çilesiz, who filed the lawsuit, announced the court’s decision as “Good news for retirees and employees.”

Çilesiz also requested a stay of execution in the lawsuit he filed. The court decided to review the request for stay of execution after receiving the first defense from TÜİK or after the defense and response period has passed. Ankara 6th Administrative Court informed TÜİK that if TÜİK does not make the necessary defense and does not submit the documents and information used in the inflation calculation to the court within the deadline (30 days), a decision can be made based on the information and documents available in the file.

NOT IMPLEMENTING THE DECISION IS A CONSTITUTIONAL CRIME

Seyfettin Çilesiz’s lawyer, Ali Erdem Gündoğan, said that the defendant TÜİK does not have the right to discuss, criticize or change the court decision, nor does it have the right to choose whether to comply with the decision or not. Gündoğan said, “If TURKSTAT does not comply with the court’s interim decision, it will commit a constitutional crime. “TÜİK employees who do not implement the decision may also face criminal sanctions under Article 257 of the Turkish Penal Code,” he said. Gündoğan also pointed out that all information and documents used by TÜİK in inflation calculations will be examined by independent experts.