Court rejects ex-Turkish army chief’s release despite prosecutor’s favorable plea

ISTANBUL

Turkey's army chief between 2008-2010İlker Başbuğ was given a life sentence in a landmark verdict in the Ergenekon coup plot case on Aug. 5, 2013. AFP photo

A court has rejected the release request of former Chief of General Staff İlker Başbuğ, despite the prosecutor having made a favorable plea during a hearing on Jan. 21. 

Başbuğ, sentenced to life in prison as part of the Ergenekon case for his alleged involvement in a plot to topple the government, had demanded his release, using Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement that there were “gangs within the state” as proof of his innocence.

For the first time, the prosecutor of the first instance appeal court supported Başbuğ’s release demand, requesting that his “personal features and social situation” be taken into account in the verdict. 

“We have reached the opinion that one or more judicial control measures could be used,” the prosecutor added in his plea, which was rejected by the court.

The demand had also been rejected by a local court earlier this month. 

The Ergenekon case is still being reviewed for an appeal at the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals. 
The release demand came as part of an initiative for the retrial of the coup case suspects, which has also been gathering support from the government. 

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 the reasoning is released.