Turkish officials following 180 cases against eavesdropping: Interior minister

ANKARA

AA Photo

There are more than 180 legal proceedings in Turkey into cases of illegal eavesdropping, unauthorized access and unauthorized queries for personal information, Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said.

Authorities have been conducting inquiries in all cases of illegal eavesdropping, Ala told reporters on April 10, noting that some 150 officers had been dismissed following administrative reviews.

Some of the cases are related to Dec. 17, 2013, the minister said, referring to a graft probe that has left the government scrambling to remove officers and civil servants from duty after the investigation reached the highest echelons of government.

The minister’s remarks came after questions regarding recent detentions in the southern province of Adana connected to an espionage case. Two soldiers were detained April 9 as part of an investigation into the search of trucks belonging to the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) in Adana for allegedly carrying weapons to Syria in January.