Anti-graft watchdog slams Turkish corruption vote

ANKARA – The Associated Press

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Transparency International has criticized a vote in Turkey's parliament that rejected motions to send four former ministers implicated in a vast corruption scandal to trial by the country's highest court.
     
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) used its parliamentary majority to sweep away a corruption investigation that had rocked Turkish politics in 2013 and forced the ministers to step down. The four votes, however, were closer than expected Tuesday.
     
The Berlin-based Transparency International watchdog stated on Jan. 21 that the votes had taken "the culture of political impunity to a dangerous new level" and raised questions about Turkey's willingness to tackle corruption.
     
Turkey, along with China and Angola, are all perceived as increasingly corrupt despite their strong economic growth in recent years, according to Transparency International's 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index.