Timothy Ash faces investigation for insulting Turkish President Erdoğan

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul has launched an ex officio criminal investigation into British economist Timothy Ash for allegedly ‘insulting the president’.

The investigation follows remarks made by Ash during a meeting in Muğla, specifically in the resort town of Bodrum. According to reports, Ash was discussing how the personal interests of political leaders influence government policy. During the discussion, he referred to an era of “maybe sociopathic leaders” and subsequently named Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In the recording, Ash appeared to immediately attempt to retract the comment, stating, “A genuine slip of the tongue, which I retracted immediately, and absolutely no offence intended.” The prosecutor's office has not specified why the inquiry was opened in Istanbul regarding comments made in Muğla.