Hunter of municipal corruption files tamed

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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A prosecutor known for his investigations into municipal corruption has been removed from such inquiries and will serve as a trial prosecutor from now on, said Emin Özler, İzmir’s chief prosecutor.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency in response to reports that prosecutor Murat Gök was removed from office and his powers were curtailed as per directives from the Justice Ministry, Özler said the decision to replace Gök with Mehmet Sait Demiröz was his own. "Gök’s powers are not removed. He will now serve as a trial prosecutor," he said.

Özler also dismissed reports that the Justice Ministry had sent a directive for Gök’s removal. "We have six such prosecutors with special powers in İzmir," the chief prosecutor said. "Four conduct investigations and the other two attend trials. This transfer is just a routine practice."

The Doğan news agency had reported that Gök’s powers were revoked as a result of directives from the Justice Ministry. It also reported that Gök would be reassigned to another province in June. When asked by the Doğan news agency about the decision, Gök said: "I don’t know why such a decision was made. Some people did not like what I was doing. Their plans were spoiled. My power to investigate was revoked. I guess this is it."

Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin said yesterday his ministry had nothing to do with Gök’s transfer, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Şahin said Gök’s comments on the matter were unfortunate and that the decision about the transfer was solely under the control of the İzmir Prosecutor’s Office. "I learned it from the media," he said. "The ministry has no inquiries or investigations linked to Gök that warrant a directive."

Appointed two years ago

Gök has been at the forefront of efforts to investigate and prosecute municipal corruption and organized crime since he was appointed as a prosecutor with special powers in İzmir two years ago. After six months of surveillance and investigation, an operation at the Kaynaklar Municipality resulted in the arrest of many suspects, including Mayor Mustafa Karagülmez from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Buca Gendarmerie Commander Musa Sarıkaya and several municipal employees.

On Gök’s instructions, gendarmerie troops seized many documents. Nineteen suspects were charged with involvement in organized crime, tampering with official documents, threats, corruption, embezzlement, violating the Forestry Law and corrupting official tenders.

In another operation launched in January under Gök’s instructions, 74 people were detained, including Güzelbahçe Mayor Ertan Avkıran and Değirmendere Mayor Necati Şemsettin Eren, both of whom were from the Republican People’s Party, or CHP.

Thirty-nine people, including both of the mayors, were arrested pending their trial and charged with corrupting state tenders, violating the building laws, bribery, abuse of power and corruption. Eren and four others were later released pending his trial.

Gök was also the prosecutor who detained 16 people, including a chief judge and eight lawyers, as part of a bribery operation. The judges and the lawyers were charged with receiving bribes in exchange for releasing suspects. Seven people, including the chief judge, were later arrested and charged. Forty people currently face charges, including bribery, influencing the judiciary and corruption, as part of the investigation.

In a corruption operation launched in the Alaçatı region last year, gendarmerie, authorized by Gök, detained Mayor Muhittin Dalgıç from the CHP, two deputy mayors, several municipal assembly members, the head of the local sports club, a bank manager and an academic. The mayor was later released pending his trial.

Last July, Gök headed the investigation into a criminal gang, launching operations in İzmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Aydın, Kuşadası, Muğla, Balıkesir, Samsun, Mersin, Kayseri, Zonguldak and Antalya that led to the detainment of several retired military officers, one retired military judge, a lawyer and a retired police chief. In another operation he launched in Çeşme, 25 people were arrested for corruption in beach tenders. Gök also led the investigation that resulted in the arrest of Buca Mayor Cemil Şeboy from the AKP. Şeboy was later released.

Opposition support for Gök’s transfer

The İzmir deputy for the opposition CHP, Ahmet Ersin, told the Anatolia news agency yesterday that Gök’s behavior had caused certain understandable objections. "The operations he launched gave the impression that they were the result of political considerations, and this caused public anger," Ersin said. He said Gök’s statement to a local newspaper where the prosecutor had said, "This is nothing. The real huge operations have not even begun yet," did not seem appropriate for a member of the judiciary. "This must have created some concern in the Justice Ministry, so that they took his powers away," Ersin said.