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‘Mystery why Özal assassination not being investigated,' says former aide
Engin Güner, who was a presidential aide during Özal's presidency at the Çankaya Palace and a chief consultant to the late president, commented on recent controversy that came with the exhumation of Özal's body. Last month The Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) ran a number of tests on the remains of the late president, whose 1993 death was officially announced at the time to be the result of a heart attack, following the testimony of various witnesses that created suspicion that the president might have been poisoned. The ATK did find traces of poisonous substances in the remains, but said too much time has passed since the time of death to conclusively establish poisoning as the cause of death.
However, Güner says that aside from the suspicion surrounding the president's eventual fate, another incident, an actual assassination attempt in 1988, should also be investigated. He said, “It is certainly important to look into the doubts surrounding the death of the late president. But at the end of the day, these are all allegations. On the other hand you have a concrete fact out there -- the assassination attempt of 1988. This is the incident that should really be investigated. I doubt that that kid [Kartal Demirağ, the would-be assassin who was captured after the failed attempt in 1988] acted alone. Who was behind him, who incited him? Why isn't any of this being investigated, I am at a loss to understand.” He also says he is ready to share with the prosecutors “the things I know” if the case is reopened.
In an interview in 2006, Güner had said, “The Kennedy assassination was never solved. And nor will the Özal assassination.” But he does not think so any longer, pointing to various investigations starting in 2006 into shady incidents in the country's past. He also says that both the Kennedy assassination and the Özal assassination attempt were carried out shadowy forces and through a network of complicated relationships.
Güner also says Özal told him that all the evidence concerning the failed assassination attempt pointed to one person. He also shared the name of the person with Today's Zaman, but explicitly stated that he didn't want the name to be published unless more concrete evidence is found through a trial process.
Özal's brother Korkut Özal, who also seems to know what Turgut Özal knew, in an interview with the daily Türkiye had pointed to the Special Operations Department of the military.
Regarding allegations that Özal's eventual death might have been a result of poisoning, Güner said although he agreed that there were suspicious points, such as those covered by a report released by the State Inspection Council (DDK) which conducted its own investigation into the allegations, but noted that he was still of the opinion that Özal died of natural causes. “We shouldn't forget that Özal had heart disease, and unfortunately he didn't really watch his diet. During his last official visit, he took a bite of everything he was offered.”
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