Court rejects graft indictment on Fatih Municipality

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

An Istanbul court has rejected an indictment prepared by public prosecutor Ekrem Aydıner about an investigation into allegations of tender rigging and bribery at the Fatih Municipality, citing shortcomings in the files.

The indictment was sent to the Istanbul 20th High Criminal Court last week. However, the court said prosecutors had to complete necessary steps before submitting the indictment. Aydıner has submitted an objection to the court’s decision, and a higher court, the Istanbul 21st High Criminal Court will now clarify the prosecutor’s objection.

Some 18 suspects, including Fatih Mayor Mustafa Demir, were detained on the morning of Dec. 17, 2013 on bribery and corruption allegations at the Fatih municipality. They were released pending trial in the first hearing at the court. Ten other suspects who were also detained on the same day were later released.

Demir is accused of giving the go-ahead to construction that threatened the Marmaray’s safety in exchange for money, according to allegations that have emerged as part of a three-pronged bribery probe into some of Turkey’s most powerful people.

Demir, along with a large number of high-ranking municipal officials, were among those detained Dec. 17 as part of the corruption operation.

Along with a number of bribery claims, the mayor is accused of permitting the construction of a hotel near the route of the recently inaugurated railway crossing under the Bosphorus, the Marmaray, putting the tunnel at risk of collapse.