News Scan, Dec 28th 2013 – Corruption allegations hitting Turkish gov’t

Gold at center of corruption, money laundering allegations hitting Turkish gov’t

Gold has been the focus of corruption allegations that are hitting the Turkish government, as some of the suspects of the case are alleged of being involved in Turkey’s gold-for-gas trade with Iran and money laundering through gold deposits

Corruption operations that topped Turkey’s agenda and caused ministers’ resignations are continuing with focus on gold. The operations, encompassing three different investigations, including land planning frauds, the exploitation of public assets and else, but for now the most striking allegations that horrified the public are the ones including “gold,” bribery monies paid over it and minister’s sons accused of receiving same…

Gold has become the main subject of “money laundering” claims since recognizing Turkey’s bullion gold trade’s boom since 2011. Turkey exported $1.5-billion worth of gold, while importing $6.2-billion gold in 2011, but the export explosion came in 2012 and reached $13.3 billion in one year. The country’s import was $7.6 billion that year. In 2013, import came to the forefront again and reached $13 billion. What was happening, why did gold trade burst?

Turkey could not pay for the natural gas it buys from Iran in foreign exchange due to U.S. sanctions on banks. So, how could it return the money? A way to bypass sanctions was found: Iran was going to be paid in Turkish Liras and then the country would use those liras to buy gold in Turkey, which would look like Turkey is exporting gold to Iran. Since there are not billions of dollars’ worth of gold bullion in Turkey, it needed to be imported from Switzerland. An intermediate station was also found to avoid the U.S.’ rage and that was the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A part of the gold looked like it was exported from Turkey to the UAE and was transferred to Iran’s accounts. In the same way, gold was imported from the UAE.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

PM Erdoğan slams resigning AKP deputies in support rally at Istanbul airport

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has fulminated against the three ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers who resigned from the party expressing criticism over the recent graft scandal.

“We have come this far in our cause together, whatever [the resigning lawmakers] might say. But, I beg your pardon, we won’t say let’s continue to walk together to those who betray us during our journey. Those, we will throw them of the door,” Erdoğan told a crowd of supporters gathered at Istanbul’s Atatürk airport Dec. 27 to show their support to the government.

The ruling AKP had also organized a similar rally in Istanbul’s main airport during the Gezi protests as a response to the mass demonstrations against the government.

However the party is facing now a significant crack due to corruption allegations implicating four ministers, all replaced by the cabinet reshuffle on Dec. 25. Three lawmakers have announced their resignations from the AKP Dec. 27 after they were sent to the party’s joint disciplinary committee with an expulsion request due to their dissenting stance.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Turkish Greenpeace activist back home from Russia

Turkish Greenpeace activist Gizem Akhan arrived in Istanbul after having been held in Russia for more than 100 days.

Turkish Greenpeace activist Gizem Akhan has arrived in her homeland Friday night after having been held in Russia for more than 100 days for charges over staging a protest against an oil platform drilling in the Arctic.

Akhan left St. Petersburg Friday night after being granted exit visa following court decision ordering her release on bail.

Akhan was embraced by her family and friends at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport and said she was pleased to be back in Turkey.

“It has been the longest protest of my life,” said Akhan, stressing that Greenpeace protests against “greedy” oil corporations will continue.

Akhan, together with 29 crew members aboard a Greenpeace vessel, was arrested on September 19 for a series of protests against an oil platform drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

AA

 Justice Minister stopped police from carrying out prosecutor’s order

Bekir Bozdağ, the new justice minister, prevented the police from following prosecutor Muammer Akkaş’s order to detain 30 suspects, and the minister also leaked the names of suspects listed on investigation files, circles close the police have claimed.
On Dec. 17, after a surveillance period of one-and-a-half years, Akkaş sent the names of people to be detained on a court verdict to the İstanbul Police Department in sealed envelopes. According to the claims, Bozdağ, who was a deputy prime minister at the time, came to the police department in the evening, gathered the police chiefs and collected the envelopes from them. He also ordered members of the police force no to detain the listed people.

The same sources also say that İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Turan Çolakkadı blocked the gendarmerie when Akkaş, who failed to mobilize the police, sent the same list to them. Çolakkadı called the gendarmerie command to say that he “doesn’t approve the operation.”

TODAYS ZAMAN

Turkey: Protesters stand up against tear gas clouds

Thousands of demonstrators took to Turkey’s streets demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid a growing corruption scandal rattling his government. Police threw tear gas at protesters and used water cannons to destroy barricades and disperse crowds, while protesters threw missiles and taunted the police from a afar.

Turkey is currently being gripped by a corruption scandal that has seen a number of prominent cabinet ministers resign. More than 20 people, including the head of a state-owned banking chain, have been arrested over the allegations.

RT

28.12.2013

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.