Europe warns Turkey to secure impartiality in corruption probe

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle speaks during a press conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Dec 12, 2013. AFP PHOTO

The European Commission urged the Turkish government to ensure ethical principles are maintained in judicial proceedings in the largest bribery probe that any government in the country’s history has ever faced.

“The Commission underlines the need to guarantee the independence and impartiality of the judicial process,” said a statement released Dec. 19 by Peter Stano, spokesman for Stefan Füle, the European Union commissioner for enlargement and neighborhood policy.

“These developments have naturally raised our attention and we follow them closely,” the statement read.

The Commission recalled the responsibility of the relevant authorities to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in an impartial manner, according to the brief note.

“The Commission has noted the government’s vow not to intervene in the probe and to stand behind the judiciary in the investigation,” the statement further stressed.