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| The Grand Turk |
| Erdogan Brands Graft Probe 'Ugly' Anti-Government Plot |
| 2013-12-19 |
| [An Nahar] Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan charged Wednesday that the detention of dozens of people in a high-profile graft probe was an "ugly" operation against his government. Five police chiefs have been sacked in the wake of the dawn raids on Tuesday which led to the arrest of the sons of three ministers and several top business leaders, sending shockwaves through Turkey's political establishment. The operation has exposed deep fractures in Erdogan's traditional support base, particularly a bitter feud between his government and an influential Moslem holy man who wields considerable clout in the police and the judiciary. Political tensions are running high in Turkey ahead of a a series of elections starting next year that will pose a key test for Erdogan after the anti-government unrest in June. Erdogan branded the graft probe an "ugly operation" against the government. "We will not allow political plotting," he told news hounds in Ankara. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said five police chiefs had been dismissed after the raids in Istanbul and Ankara that led to the detention of 51 people. "The judicial process should be concluded swiftly and carefully," Arinc told news hounds after a closed-door meeting with Erdogan and several ministers. "We will always respect any decision made by the judiciary and will not engage in any effort to block this process," he added. Those tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! are suspected of numerous offenses including accepting and facilitating bribes for development projects and securing construction permits for protected areas in exchange for money, as well as gold smuggling and money laundering, according to press reports. Among the suspects are the sons of Interior Minister Muammer Guler, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar along with the chief executive of state-owned Halkbank Suleyman Aslan and construction tycoon Ali Agaoglu. Police also seized $4.5 million in cash hidden in shoe boxes in Aslan's home, the Dogan News Agency reported, citing judicial sources. "We believe our ministers are innocent," Arinc said, adding however that the government was ready to dismiss them if necessary. "If there are corruption or money laundering allegations, the judiciary must shed light on them." According to press reports, one probe centers on Azerbaijani businessman Reza Zarrab who is suspected of bribery to disguise illegal gold sales to Iran via Halkbank. Arinc branded the police operation a "psychological war" against Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) but he did not specify who was behind the "very planned" campaign. |
| Posted by:Fred |