Up to 96 judges and prosecutors reassigned in fresh purge within Turkish judiciary

ANKARA

The reassignments include Chief Prosecutor of İzmir Hüseyin Baş, who was conducting a critical graft probe into fraud claims at the İzmir Harbor. AA photo

Ninety-six judges and prosecutors were reassigned in fresh reshuffle in the Turkish judiciary late Jan. 21, including the Chief Prosecutor of İzmir Hüseyin Baş who was conducting a critical graft probe into fraud claims in the İzmir Harbor.

Baş was appointed to the Black Sea province of Samsun the same day that main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) revealed the minutes of a conversation revealing that the Justice Ministry Undersecretary Kenan İpek had called the İzmir prosecutor to halt the probe involving a relative of the ruling AKP’s mayoral candidate Binali Yıldırım.

Süleyman Bağrıyanık, the Chief Prosecutor of Adana, where Gendarmerie forces searched seven trucks belonging to Turkey’s intelligence agency sparking the government’s anger, was also among the list of replaced names. 

Turkey’s Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) fresh reshuffle move comes less than a week after another wave of reappointments that involved the Chief Prosecutor of Istanbul and prosecutors in charge of graft investigation. It also occurs as the Parliament is debating on a law that increases the government’s control over the institution, which plays a key role in assignments.

The judicial reshuffles come after a massive purge within the Police Department as part of the government's response to the graft investigation. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) alleges that a “parallel state” is orchestrating the corruption probes in order to damage the government.