News Scan, 7th Feb: Opposition accuses gov’t of trying to block graft probe with new bill

Opposition accuses gov’t of trying to block graft probe with new bill

A draft bill for a judicial package submitted with fanfare by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), on Thursday to Parliament that seeks to eliminate specially authorized courts (ÖYM) has drawn harsh criticism from opposition parties who see the bill an attempt by the government to block ongoing graft probes.

“This bill is a plan solely aimed at getting rid of the evidence [gathered in the graft probes],” Sezgin Tanrıkulu, deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told Today’s Zaman.

Analysts are concerned that the bill, a judicial reform bill sugarcoated by the elimination of ÖYMs — which deal mainly with terrorism and organized-crime related cases — is full of amendments that will ensure that corruption investigations implicating the government are derailed. According to Tanrıkulu, except for the elimination of ÖYMs, the bill contains no major judicial improvements.

The bill, which contains 22 articles and is expected to be discussed in Parliament’s Justice Commission next week, includes many revisions that will subordinate the judiciary to the government, making it very difficult to pursue corruption cases against public officials and people close to the government. The bill gives the justice minister broad powers in terms of the investigation and prosecution of law enforcement officials when they fail to enforce court judgments or prosecutors’ summons. Currently, Turkey’s judicial council, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) investigates police chiefs and province and district governors in case they fail to enforce judicial orders.

TODAYS ZAMAN

Lira sinks below 2.2 against dollar on weak US job data

The Turkish Lira dropped to below 2.19 against the dollar on Feb. 7 following the release of U.S. January jobs creation data that suggests employment in the country remains weak for a second consecutive month.

According to the much-awaited figures, U.S. employers hired far fewer workers than expected in January and job gains for the prior month were barely revised up, suggesting a loss of momentum in the economy, even as the unemployment rate hit a new five-year low of 6.6 percent.

The lira, which was being traded at levels of over 2.2210 against the dollar, rose to 2.1890 after the report, despite falling below 2.220 again later.

The data that revealed the weakest two months of job growth in three years also sent the euro/lira ratio below the 3.0 threshold.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Int’l press organizations rally behind deported Today’s Zaman journalist

The deportation of Today’s Zaman journalist Mahir Zeynalov for Twitter messages that were critical of the government is a setback for press freedom, say international press organizations, criticizing the Turkish government’s attitude toward the media.

“The Turkish authorities’ reported decision to deport a foreign journalist and bar him from re-entering Turkey — over tweeting — is a shocking development, incompatible with the country’s international commitments on freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” said Nina Ognianova, Europe and Central Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in remarks to Today’s Zaman.

Ognianova also conveyed the CPJ’s call on Turkey to reverse this decision that has brought censorship in Turkey to a new level. “Mahir Zeynalov should be allowed to remain in the country and to continue to use social networks or any other platform for information-sharing without fear of reprisal,” she added.

Zeynalov, a national of Azerbaijan, has been put on a list of foreign individuals who are barred from entering Turkey under Law No. 5683, because of “posting tweets critical of high-level state officials,” Today’s Zaman has learned. The decision, dated Feb. 4, was signed by Deputy Police Chief Ali Baştürk on behalf of the interior minister.

TODAYS ZAMAN

S&P changes Turkey’s economic outlook to negative

Some Turkish officials have stated that Standard & Poor’s (S&P) decision to revise Republic of Turkey’s rating outlook to negative from stable is not based on sound reasoning.

Officials underline the fact that S&P has pointed to the rising risk of a hard economic landing in Turkey as the main reason for the outlook revision, however this reasoning is not valid considering the agency’s own estimates.

The agency envisages growth rates of 2.4% and 2.0% for the Turkish economy in 2014 and 2015, respectively, while expecting current account deficit as a percentage of GDP to decrease to 2.9% and 2.7%. Those estimates set forth that the agency expects Turkey to achieve a very significant improvement in its external balances, without going through a contraction in growth. The outlook decision despite those estimates is found to be inconsistent.

The officials also state that the agency’s expectation of a deterioration in the asset quality of the banking sector, similar to what happened in 2009, is not valid. They point out the contradiction between the agency’s growth expectations and the expectation of a significant deterioration in the asset quality by stating the fact that the Non-Performing Loan ratio increased marginally to 0.9% on a net basis in 2009, despite the 4.8% contraction in 2009 growth.

AA

Turkey expects Bulgaria to fulfill its obligations over transit permit documents.

Turkey’s government officials say that its border control dispute with Bulgaria is progressing towards a resolution.

“We expect Bulgaria to fulfill its obligations,” the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications (UDH) Deputy Secretary Talat Aydin said on Friday.

Speaking to the Anadolu Agency Aydin said that they have been in contact with the Bulgarian authorities from the beginning, and that Turkey has submitted the mandatory documents, as part of its bilateral agreements with the Bulgarian authorities in December.

“Bulgaria did not deliver the permit documents as defined in agreement. Delivered document were missing. We attempted to complete missing documents as Turkish side but could not get a result.”

Referring to the agreement between Bulgaria and Turkey, Aydin said: “We have informed Bulgaria in advance, we had briefed the authorities that from the beginning of 30 January 2014, Turkey will not allow permit documents submitted to Bulgaria.”

Aydin added that if Bulgaria delivers its missing permit documents, the transport activities would go on as before.

AA

MP close to Gülen quits ruling AKP, slams accusations against Islamic scholar

The unprecedented wave of defections from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) continues, with İzmir MP İlhan İşbilen announcing his resignation Feb. 7 and criticizing the government’s stance against the U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

İşbilen became the seventh member to resign from the AKP since the massive graft scandal went public on Dec. 17 and the ninth since the test prep school row that created the rift between Gülen’s Hizmet (Service) movement and the government.

The lawmaker, who is known for his closeness to the movement, said he has known Gülen for more than 50 years and has never heard such harsh words being directed against him.

“Despite everything I’ve waited, thinking that I could mediate between Fethullah Gülen and the prime minister. If the prime minister wanted this problem solved quietly, he would have probably called me,” İşbilir said.

He said he even asked for a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the issue, “but the answer that I expected did not come.”

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Erdogan’s Germany visit all about Turkish politics

One of Turkey’s most popular columnists, Hurriyet’s Ahmet Hakan, in his Feb. 3 column posed questions for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Hakan wrote, “I am asking bluntly without beating around the bush: Are you furious because the giant third airport to be constructed in Istanbul will be bigger than your Frankfurt airport? Do you want to cause unrest in Turkey just to stop Turkey from building an airport bigger than yours? Please tell us openly: Are you uncomfortable with the growth of Turkish Airlines? Are you doing whatever you can to curtail that growth?l

“Did you provoke the Gezi protests? Are you behind the Dec. 17 [corruption probe]? Are you doing whatever you can to sink Turkey?”

These questions, which would sound spooky to anyone not following domestic happenings in Turkey, were significant in their context and timing. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by a large delegation, traveled to Berlin Feb. 3 to meet Merkel, one of many agenda items in his loaded schedule. His delegation included a “conspiracy theoretician” who had concocted incongruous theories during the 2013 Gezi Park protests.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/berlin-trip-erdogan-turkey-domestic-infighting.html#ixzz2sfOTUxJn

07.02.2014

This is a news-scan from major Turkish papers and internet sites. However, we do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.