Deputy PM Atalay denies list of 2,000 people within ‘parallel state’ given to PM Erdoğan

ANKARA

The claims were relayed by AKP's Burhan Kuzu, a veteran politician and lawyer who chairs the Parliament's Constitution Commission. DAILY NEWS photo

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay denied Jan. 2 claims made by his party’s deputy Burhan Kuzu that a list of 2,000 names allegedly involved in an organization within the state had been submitted to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

“There is no such thing,” Atalay told private news channel HaberTürk in response to a question over the list given to Erdoğan.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Burhan Kuzu said that a list of 2,000 names allegedly involved in an organization within the state was submitted to Erdoğan via his Twitter account on Jan. 1.

“There are names of 2,000 senior police officers, scholars, bureaucrats, judges, prosecutors, press members and businessmen in the [intelligence] report submitted to the prime minister. The key person of the organization is in the list,” Kuzu also tweeted.

The prime minister and several government officials have repeatedly accused “a parallel state” or “a gang within the state” of plotting a recent graft probe, in which sons of two former ministers are also under arrest for bribery charges, to topple the government.

“The intelligence report submitted to the prime minister included the details of the parallel state organization within the state. A ‘witch hunt’ that would be carried out in 42 provinces is prevented [with this intelligence report],” tweeted Kuzu referring to a second graft probe.

The second graft probe, which targets prominent businessman according to arrest orders, was reportedly aborted after the removal of its head prosecutor, Muammer Akkaş. The probe was said to be larger than the current graft scandal, although Erdoğan accused Akkaş of going after the AKP.
Kuzu’s tweets came after daily Akşam reported that the list of 2,000 people, including senior police chiefs, had been submitted to the prime minister. 

Around 150 police officers are given duties of protecting mayors and businessmen with alleged fake assassination claims, and those police officers worked as informants for a group who work against the government, daily Akşam reported on Dec. 31. 

Kuzu, however, said on Jan. 2 via Twitter that his tweets about the list of 2,000 people were not his remarks but he was citing the daily Akşam’s report. 

“My tweets of yesterday received a large response, but it was completely daily Akşam’s report. I wrote the daily’s report. I am not in the government, so I cannot have a report which is claimed to be given to the prime minister by the intelligence organization,” said Kuzu in his tweets.

Meanwhile, Atalay also said in his televised interview that a general amnesty was not on the government’s agenda. Atalay, however, said that regulations over the return of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) must be considered as part of the further steps of the ongoing peace process. “Not an amnesty, but their return to their homes is already written in the article 221. There will be regulations for the members [of the PKK] who are not involved in any crime and who want to return home as part of the peace process,” said Atalay.