High judicial board to examine prosecutors, new Istanbul police chief

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

Selami Altınok faces a HSYK investigation a few weeks after surprisingly being appionted as the new head of Istanbul's police force. DHA photo

The 3rd Chamber of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) has decided to launch an examination of prosecutors who have been conducting the extensive graft probe and freshly appointed Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altınok following complaints.

Zekeriya Öz, the Istanbul deputy chief prosecutor who supervised the prosecutors; Prosecutor Muammer Akkaş; and Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Turan Çolakkadı are among those prosecutors who will be examined.

The decisions were made at a meeting in Ankara which was chaired by HSKY Deputy President Ahmet Hamsici on Jan. 7.

Istanbul Police Chief Altınok took over from Hüseyin Çapkın on Dec. 19, 2013, -- two days after the sons of three then-ministers were taken into custody in police raids as part of the graft probe. As civil servant and former governor of the Central Anatolian province of Aksaray, Altınok’s appointment surprised many at the time as he does not have a police background.

The 3rd Chamber of the HSYK has apparently decided to hold Jan. 8 meeting in order to discuss the recent cross of swords between members of the judicial system, Turkish daily Hürriyet reported on Jan. 1.

Whether the prosecutors involved have been handling the corruption probe appropriately; whether they have violated the confidentiality of the probe; whether Öz is involved in inappropriate business relations at a municipality, as suggested by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; and mutual accusations between Akkaş and Çolakkadı were already expected to be on the agenda of the meeting.

Nonetheless, in the meantime, pro-government media claimed over the weekend that Öz, also in charge of the Ergenekon coup plot case had a $35,000 vacation at a five-star Dubai hotel paid for by a Turkish construction company.

The company, one of those targeted in the graft probe, said its Dubai office had covered the expenses but Öz said he paid the bill himself.

In Istanbul, Müşir Deliduman, a lawyer for Ekrem Eray Erda who has been under arrest as part of the probe, filed a complaint to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, suggesting that falsifications were made in decisions of custody and extension of custody.

In his petition, Deliduman put evidence about certain prosecutors’ manners and practices down in black and white

“… We have the conviction that the decision which was made by the Istanbul Number 2 Magistracy and which is not proper is null and void,” the lawyer said.

Yet another senior appointment

In Ankara, meanwhile, Justice Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Kenan Özdemir and Justice Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Yüksel Hız have been appointed to vacant “senior counselor” posts. A related decree about appointments was published in the Jan. 7 edition of the Official Gazette.