Rift over judiciary takes new turn with minister’s consent for probe into court

ANKARA

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ speaks to a group of reporters in Ankara. March 18. AA photo

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has permitted the launch of an examination into a heavy penal court that he says attempted to use authority it no longer has to object to another court’s ruling in favor of releasing key figures convicted of plotting a coup.

Bozdağ gave permission to the Third Chamber the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) to examine the president and the two members of the Istanbul 13th Court of Serious Crimes, a former specially authorized court, for “still not having drafted the legal cause for their ruling concerning the Ergenekon case,” Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

Accordingly, inspectors will conduct the examination of the judges and draft a report. The third chamber will decide whether an investigation is required; if so, the decision will require Bozdağ’s consent.
The Istanbul 13th Court of Serious Crimes, which was abolished by a law that entered into force on March 6, has to finalize the drafting of its legal case regarding the Ergenekon case by March 21 at the latest. The courts that have not drafted the related legal cases in a timely manner were given 15 days after the law went into force, the agency noted, while underlining that the legal cause concerning the Ergenekon case has being waited for more than seven months.

Prosecutors allegedly involved in mass wiretapping

Meanwhile, Bozdağ also allowed the launch of an examination into two anti-terrorism prosecutors alleged to have been involved in the tapping of thousands of phones in order to blackmail and concoct criminal cases to influence the government.

In late February, the third chamber decided to launch the examination after an appeal from the prosecutors themselves, namely Adem Özcan and Adnan Çimen.

The move came after they reviewed both the news reports in Yeni Şafak and Star about Özcan and Çimen and their petitions. It accepted the petitions, but the decision for the examination of the prosecutors needed to be approved by the Justice Ministry. If an investigation is deemed necessary, the chamber will present a proposal for an investigation into the ministry. The investigation into the prosecutors will be conducted by the second chamber of the HSYK upon the Justice Ministry’s approval.