News Scan – 7th January, 2014: MİT warned PM about relationship between Zarrab and ministers
MİT warned PM about relationship between Zarrab, ministers
The National Intelligence Organization (MİT) sent a report to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in early 2013 warning him about suspicious relationships between some Turkish ministers and Reza Zarrab, an Iranian businessman living in Turkey who is currently under arrest as part of a major investigation into alleged corruption and bribery, according to a news portal.
T24 reported on Monday that an MİT agent had sent the report to the prime minister in April of last year, eight months before the launch of an operation as part of the corruption investigation that resulted in the arrests of Zarrab and the sons of two ministers as well as several bureaucrats and businesspeople. According to the news report, the MİT agent, the name of whom the news portal did not reveal, told the prime minister that Zarrab had “close relations” with then-Ministers Muammer Güler and Zafer Çağlayan. Both ministers resigned in late December, after their sons were arrested as part of the corruption investigation. Claims have emerged that the former ministers were involved in corruption and bribery.
The MİT report also stated that Zarrab met several times with Güler and Çağlayan to ask them for help in obtaining Turkish citizenship for his brother, Mohammed Zarrab. Zarrab’s brother, as well as his father and sister-in-law, were granted Turkish citizenship in an unusually short period of time.
TODAYS ZAMAN
‘Neither graft, nor dual justice’ says Union of Turkish Bars
“The row over the graft probe gave a golden opportunity to correct a grave injustice in the Turkish system,” says Metin Feyzioğlu, the chairman of Union of Turkish Bars (TBB). ”If the prime minister of the country says there is an illegitimate structure within the judiciary, then we have to give our assistance to clean it out; that’s why we are trying to do now.”
In a telephone interview with the Hürriyet Daily News, Feyzioğlu gave details of his visit to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan on Jan. 4 in Istanbul, during which formulas on how to retry the controversial cases were discussed. Bringing up a legal package offer on the same subject for the attention of President Abdullah Gül during a meeting on Jan. 2 in Ankara, Feyzioğlu said Erdoğan had asked Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ to join them and they discussed legal capabilities for over 1.5 hours. “We travelled back to Ankara together with the minister and we spoke in detail of a draft during the flight to Ankara” Feyzioğlu said. “We will meet Wednesday to advance the legal work.”
HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
Parliamentary commission agrees on constitutional amendment for jailed MPs
A multi-party parliamentary commission on Monday agreed on a constitutional amendment regarding jailed MPs. The commission comprises members of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and opposition parties CHP (Republican People’s Party) and BDP (Peace and Democracy Party).
The amendment will ensure that deputies who are suspected of committing a crime can only be detained, quizzed, judged and imprisoned following the approval of the Parliament based on a two-thirds majority, AK Party Vice Chairman and Istanbul Deputy Mustafa Sentop said.
The commission also agreed that all ongoing trials shall be stopped and those finalized shall be deferred till the end of the electoral term, he added.
The trials of MHP deputy Engin Alan and BDP deputy Sebahat Tuncel will be accordingly deferred, said CHP Konya Deputy Atilla Kart.
The commission is planning another meeting next week.
AA
TODAYS ZAMAN
Turkey shuts Akçakale border gate amid increasing clashes in northern Syria
Turkey closed the Akçakale border gate — a border crossing with Syria — on Monday because of heavy clashes in Tel Abyad, a Syrian town in Raqqa province close to Turkey’s Akçakale district in Şanlıurfa province.
According to reports circulating in Turkish media, Turkey shut the Akçakale border gate as tension escalated between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the town of Tel Abyad.
Reports, citing local officials, say that the closure of the border gate is for security reasons and that the border gate will be reopened after the clashes settle down across the border. There was a considerable crowd in front of the border gate, the reports claimed. Security measures along the border have reportedly been stepped up because of clashes in Syria’s northern cities.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that clashes between a coalition of Islamic brigades and the al-Qaeda-linked ISIL have intensified from the Syria’s opposition-held areas in the north to a key eastern city, Raqqa, which has long been an ISIL stronghold.
TODAYS ZAMAN
Five reasons 2014 could be tough year for Erdogan
Last year was an annus horribilis for Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). Nothing went right for the ruling party.
While 2013 was an annus horribilis for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), 2014 could be worse. There is no reason to think that 2014 will be any better. To the contrary, a worse year may be in the offing for Erdogan and his party. The parameters that will determine the state of affairs in 2014 acquired their final forms in 2013. Just to recap:
Erdogan, who expedited Islamic social engineering with his oppressive actions, was personally responsible for the Gezi Park protests in June 2013, with his ill-judged decisions and reactions. The wave of protests that turned into a popular explosion spread through the entire country in a short time. According to police figures, about 3.5 million people came out into the streets to protest in 80 provinces.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/erdogan-elections-power-struggle-kurd-gulen-syria.html#ixzz2phRCStd6
07.01.2014
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.
