Article Scan – Bribery accusations against ministers become major concern for PM
Crackdown shatters AKP ‘anti-corruption’ taboo (Kadri Gursel)
Since the morning of Dec. 17, the Turkish public has been experiencing shock waves as a result of massive anti-corruption operations, which directly concern Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). There are phenomenal accusations of bribery against four major government ministers who are known to be close to the prime minister: Erdogan Bayraktar, minister of environment and urbanization; Muammer Guler, minister of interior; Zafer Caglayan, minister of economy; and Egemen Bagis, minister of EU affairs.
Anti-corruption operations targeting four ministers of Erdogan’s AKP government have inflicted irreparable damage on the government’s reputation and legitimacy. Sons of the first three ministers were detained by police on the morning of Dec. 17 on charges of bribery and influence peddling. On Dec. 19, the sons were being questioned by police.
On the same day, the Istanbul police launched three separate anti-corruption operations and detained 52 people. At the center of the first operation was an Iranian of Azeri origin named Reza Zarrab. According to information made available to the public, Zarrab was active in smuggling cash to Iran via Russia and China. It is claimed that Zarrab had established bribery and graft links with Guler, Caglayan and Bagis, either directly or through their sons. Zarrab is accused of distributing $63 million in bribes to the ministers. According to news reports, Caglayan is accused of taking $51.5 million in bribes; Guler, $10 million; and Bagis, $1.5 million.
Can a cabinet reshuffle save the Turkish situation? (MURAT YETKİN)
When Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan summoned his Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan to his residence, many political observers in Ankara believed the meeting could end up with Çağlayan’s dismissal from the cabinet or resignation. Çağlayan’s son was arrested during a corruption operation on Dec. 17, together with the sons of two other ministers; Environment and Urbanization Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar and Interior Minister Muammer Güler.
The leaks, possibly from prosecutor’s office and police, to Turkish media claim that those ministers, plus Turkey’s European Union Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış have been involved in facilitating the “business” of Reza Zarrab in Turkey by taking bribes and abusing their offices. The “business” is to transfer Zarrab’s money from gold trade over Turkey to Iran via the government-controlled Halkbank, providing a short-cut to Turkish citizenship to Zarrab (now he is Rıza Sarraf and under arrest) and his entourage, facilitating Schengen visas for them (including Zarrab’s relatives), allegedly from Italian channels, and the amount of the total bribery is reported in Turkish media to be as high as 142 million Turkish Liras, nearly $70 million.
