Turkish gang leader avoids punishment in guard beating, probe launched

İsmail Saymaz – ISTANBUL

Notorious Turkish mafia leader Alaattin Çakıcı received no punishment after beating two prison officials, who suffered broken bones during the incident, a recent investigation has revealed. 

Çakıcı and two other men beat the deputy manager and a guard at Tekirdağ Prison in northwestern Turkey around two months ago. Both the prison guard and the deputy manager suffered broken bones as a result of the beating. The Prison Discipline Board gathered after the incident and decided there was no need to take action against the imprisoned mafia leader. However, the deputy manager applied to the Justice Ministry over the issue.

Officials assigned to investigate the incident by the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses learned Çakıcı and his aide, Ali Öztürk, beat another prison guard one-and-half-years ago.

Meanwhile, Justice Ministry officials told Anadolu Agency the ministry took action after it learned the prison board swept away the beating incident. The Justice Ministry’s investigation revealed Çakıcı beat another official in the past and no action was taken at that time. 

After the investigations, the managers, deputy managers and guards of the prison at the time were suspended, ministry sources said. An investigation opened into the personnel who were involved in the incident and also guards who failed to prevent the incident decided on their arrest as part of prosecution into the incident. The sources also said an investigation had been opened against Çakıcı and the incident was not covered up. 

Alaattin Çakıcı was convicted of instigating the murder of his wife and Dündar Kılıç’s daughter in front of their son, Onur Özbizerdik, in 1995.

Çakıcı was put on trial when he returned to Turkey and found guilty of the instigating his ex-wife’s murder and sentenced to 19 years in prison.