All 10 detainees in military espionage case released

İZMİR

A heavy penal court in the Aegean city of İzmir has ruled for release of all 10 detainees in a military espionage case in which 357 suspects are charged with espionage.

The ruling by the İzmir 5th Heavy Penal Court on July 4 came a day after the prosecutor in charge asked for the release of all 10 detainees, while also asking for the drafting of a new report in line with an objection by the defendants’ lawyers to a report by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), an institution which has recently come under fire on charges of not acting with the principle of scientific objectivity. The court in İzmir had received the report by TÜBİTAK last week.

The case, which began in April 2013, involves 357 suspects, including military officers, who are being tried for allegedly being involved in spying activities.

Five of those 10 suspects are active-duty officers of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), while businessman Bilgin Özkaynak, the alleged leader of the criminal organization involved in espionage was also among the 10 detainees.

The investigation into the espionage gang started in 2009 after allegations arose that the gang reportedly targeted active-duty officers with knowledge of details about war craft radar locations.
The suspects allegedly gathered personal and military information in a database called “Pandora” and kept tabs on government officials.

Also on July 3, the prosecutor asked the court to have an expert team draft the new report and review TÜBİTAK’s report.