Turkey's former chief of general staff demands release over PM Erdoğan’s remarks

Former Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, who was sentenced to life in prison as part of the Ergenekon coup plot trial, has filed a petition for his release citing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement that there are “gangs within the state” as proof of his innocence.

İlkay Sezer, the former top soldier’s lawyer, asked in his petition to the Istanbul 13th Court of Serious Crimes that it take into account Erdoğan’s recent statements over the existence of a “gang within state” and find “those who are indeed guilty.”

If the court would have heard Erdoğan as a witness over his statements that a group infiltrated the state, police and judiciary, then it would have been clear who is actually guilty at the present moment, Başbuğ’s lawyer said in his petition to the court.

Erdoğan, asserting a defiant tone, labeled a recent graft probe, in which two sons of his ministers are under arrest, as an ill-intentioned plot of local and foreign actors that aims to topple the government. The prime minister also vowed to settle scores with “gangs within the state” and “members of the parallel state” who prepared the plot against the government.

More than 70 police officers, including the head of the Istanbul police, have been dismissed or moved to different posts since the detention of the bribery suspects began last week.

Başbuğ was given a life sentence in a landmark verdict in the Ergenekon coup plot case on Aug. 5, 2013. The court did not reveal its reasoning and decided on the continuation of the arrest of Başbuğ as a precaution until its reasoning is released. Sezer, however, said the court had to announce its reasoning for the continuation of Başbuğ’s arrest monthly, but failed to do so and demanded the release of Başbuğ.

Some 275 suspects were given sentences in August 2013, receiving hundreds of years of imprisonment in total, with many high-ranking army members, journalists and academics being given aggravated life sentences.

Ekleyen HayalPrensesi on 06:01 in foreign news, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Turkey: PM Erdogan vows to fight on amid corruption row

Turkey: PM Erdogan vows to fight on amid corruption row

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will not step down amid corruption allegations, as Portia Walker reports.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will not step down amid corruption allegations that have forced the resignations of three ministers.

The ministers' sons were among dozens of people detained as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe.

Turkey's army has said it does not want to get involved in political arguments, in response to rumours of a coup plot.

On Friday police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Protests were also held in the capital Ankara and the third-largest city Izmir.

Protesters had chanted "catch the thief" and called for Mr Erdogan's resignation.

Police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.

The scandal has caused Turkey's lira to fall to a new low against the dollar.

'Smear campaign'

At a rally outside at Istanbul's main airport late on Friday, Mr Erdogan pledged to fight on in what is seen as the biggest challenge to his government in his 11 years in office.

He called the investigation into corruption a "smear campaign" and urged thousands of supporters to vote for his party in local elections next month.

"Those who call it a corruption inquiry are corrupt themselves," he said.
Protesters threw fireworks during clashes on a street leading to Taksim Square

Turkey has a history of military takeovers but its power has been curbed during Mr Erdogan's decade in power.

The country's top administrative court has blocked a government decree, introduced last week, ordering police to inform their superiors before launching investigations.

The Council of State's ruling on Friday, blocking the regulation, is seen as the latest setback in Mr Erdogan's efforts to stop the political fallout from the scandal: Three politicians resigned from the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) over the row.

Numerous police and judicial officials have been removed from their posts since the first arrests 10 days ago.On Wednesday Mr Erdogan named 10 new ministers to join his cabinet after talks with President Abdullah Gul.

Commentators in Turkey believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between Mr Erdogan's government and an influential US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who is said to have many followers within Turkey's police and judiciary.

Supporters regard the Hizmet movement inspired by Mr Gulen as the benign, modern face of Islam, but critics question its motives.

Ekleyen HayalPrensesi on 03:32 in foreign news, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Turkish PM Erdogan Threatens to Expel Foreign Ambassadors

In veiled threat to US ambassador, embattled Turkish Prime Minister reacts to growing corruption scandal by threatening diplomats.




Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan haas threatened to expel foreign ambassadors over "provocative actions," as his government faces unprecedented pressure over a major corruption scandal.

"Some ambassadors are engaged in provocative actions ... Do your job," Erdogan said in televised remarks Saturday. "We don't have to keep you in our country."

The harsh words are being seen as a veiled threat to US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, who reportedly told European Union envoys that Washington warned state-owned Halkbank to cut its ties with sanctions-hit Iran.

"We asked Halkbank to cut its links with Iran. They did not listen to us. You are watching the collapse of an empire," Ricciardone is reported to have said, according to numerous Turkish media outlets.

But the American Ambassador has since dismissed the reports as "baseless", in a Turkish-language message on his official Twitter account.

"Nobody should put US-Turkish relations into jeopardy through baseless allegations," he said.

Halkbank has been criticized before in the US over claims it illegally breaching international sanctions imposed on Iran due to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, but the bank has denied the claims. Its chiefexecutive was recently arrested as part of a wide-reaching corruption scandal that has rocked the Islamist AKP government, in power since 2002.

Suleyman Aslan was arrested along with a number of other high-profile figures Saturday , including the sons of a number of cabinet ministers. He is accused of taking bribes, according to the Hurriyet newspaper. Police also seized $4.5 million in cash at his home, according to Turkish media reports.

Erdogan went on to claim the arrests were part of a conspiracy to undermine his rule.

"There are extremely dirty alliances in this set-up, dark alliances that can't tolerate the new Turkey, the big Turkey. Turkey has never been subjected to such an immoral attack.

"This is an operation ordered by some international groups, and their subcontractors within Turkey are carrying it out, as a step taken against the government. We will not bow down to it," he continued.

This is not the first time the Turkish PM has reacted to domestic crises by blaming foreign conspiracies.

During last summer's Gezi Park protests, Erdogan and other government ministers lashed out at those behind the demonstrations, claiming they were part of a "foreign conspiracy" led by Israel.

Ekleyen HayalPrensesi on 14:31 in foreign news, İsrael, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, USA