Turkish President Erdoğan declares panel vote on graft probe ‘fair’

ANKARA

AA Photo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has rushed to declare a nay vote by a parliamentary committee investigating corruption allegations against four former Cabinet ministers on graft charges as "fair," while voicing confidence that the rest of the process will also be conducted fairly by Parliament.

Touching upon various domestic and foreign policy issues in a speech delivered Jan. 6, just a day after the vote, Erdoğan again touched on alleged "internal and external plots" being hatched against Turkey.

The Dec. 17 and the Dec. 25 probes of 2013 involving governmental officials and relatives of governmental officials were actually part of a coup attempt against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, he reiterated, pointing to the followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen as perpetrators.

Erdoğan, who served as prime minister from early 2003 until he was elected as president in August 2013, made the comments in a speech delivered at a luncheon he hosted for attendees of the 7th Annual Ambassadors' Conference at the presidential premises.

Parliament decided to establish an investigation commission to probe former ministers Zafer Çağlayan, Egemen Bağış, Muammer Güler and Egemen Bağış on May 5, 2014, after deliberations between political parties.

“We don’t have anything to evade. We founded it, then the commission worked and, finally yesterday, the commission made its decision,” Erdoğan said, underlining that the decision of the commission was based on "expert reports."

“This is merely an interim decision, the process from now on, of course, will be at Parliament, the General Assembly; the final decision will be made there,” he added.

“I believe that this Parliament will make its final decision in the most ideal and fairest way, particularly as a result of the decision by the investigation commission on which it is worked. Turkey will not be a country where speculation will be made through processes of distraction, and it will be this Parliament that will display it is not [such a country],” he vowed.