Turkey sends files on corruption prosecutor Öz, coup cases to Germany

Fevzi Kızılkoyun – ANKARA

The Turkish authorities have sent files to Germany regarding Zekeriya Öz, a controversial Gülenist prosecutor who is currently believed to be in the country. 

After determining the exact address where Öz is staying in Berlin, Turkey has formally requested his extradition to Turkey. 

Last month Turkey officially asked the German authorities to locate, arrest and hand over two high-profile prosecutors, Öz and Celal Kara, who are accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government.
     
Öz, who is sought with an arrest warrant carrying a 300,000-Turkish Lira bounty, was the prosecutor behind the infamous Dec. 17, 2013 corruption probe targeting members of the government. He fled to Georgia before an arrest warrant was issued for him, and later reports surfaced that he was in Armenia. 

Öz was also the prosecutor of the sprawling Ergenekon coup plot case, which was ultimately discredited due to falsified evidence.

During the Dec. 17, 2013 investigation, four high-ranking former ministers - Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan, Interior Minister Muammer Güler, EU Minister Egemen Bağış and Transport Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar - were accused of involvement in large-scale corruption, along with several businessmen. The case was later quashed in a vote at parliament thanks to the votes of government deputies.

The Turkish authorities have also reportedly determined that followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen are continuing to use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), rather than the smartphone messaging apps ByLock and Eagle, which came to prominence after reports surfaced that the plotters of the bloody July 15 coup attempt were using them. 

According to the file sent to the German authorities, Öz traveled to Germany from Georgia and continued to communicate with fellow Gülenists from a number of different addresses.

Meanwhile, an unidentified convict who was caught over links to the Gülen movement committed suicide in the prison where he is jailed in the Central Anatolian province of Kırıkkale. An investigation has been launched into the suicide.