Ergenekon judge says trial will end in ‘reasonable time’

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

This photo shows deputy Mustafa Balbay in his cell in Silivri Prison. DHA photo

The judge overseeing the Ergenekon coup plot case has said the case will end in a “reasonable period.”

In response to the statement of Mustafa Balbay, an İzmir deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who is under arrest as a suspect, chief judge Hasan Hüseyin Özese said during the hearing April 13 that they wanted to ensure justice was served.

“We are working to end the trial in a reasonable period. We are collecting evidence according to the code of criminal procedure,” Özese told Balbay, who criticized in his defense the length of his detention.

Balbay, who has been in jail since March 5, 2009, also said the number of suspects had increased to 147 from 118 recently with the merging of the Ergenekon and Internet Memorandum cases.

 “The justice system in Turkey sparks new debates instead of securing justice. Law cannot be diverse, it is unique and scientific. ‘Multiple choice’ law is unacceptable,” Balbay said.

When Balbay was arrested, he was the Ankara bureau chief and political columnist for daily Cumhuriyet. He was elected to Turkish Parliament in the June 12, 2011 general elections, but he remained in prison.