In Turkey, Mustafa Aykol writes:
What has happened in Turkey in the past 10 days is just mind-boggling.
First, on the morning of Dec. 17, an Istanbul prosecutor initiated a shocking investigation. Sons of three ministers, a bank manager, various politicians and businessmen were arrested on charges of widespread corruption. Some visual details, such as photos of huge stacks of cash money in private homes, were leaked to the press. Since four government ministers were explicitly accused, the media dubbed the investigation as “the biggest corruption case in Republican history.”
The government responded with a counter-attack. Erdoğan, his party and the pro-Erdoğan media defined the probe as a political conspiracy cooked up by “foreign powers,” especially Israel and its U.S. lobby. But they also blamed the Fethullah Gülen Movement, which is believed to be behind certain elements within the police and the judiciary. Soon, the government also initiated a very extensive purge within the police, and other state institutions, against “Gülenists,” real or perceived.
On Wed, Dec. 25, two of the accused ministers resigned. The third one, Erdoğan Bayraktar, did something less unexpected. On live TV, he declared that he is innocent yet still he will resign from the cabinet and the parliament. “But I believe Prime Minister Erdoğan should resign, too,” he shockingly said, “for he is the one who ordered all the construction projects that are questioned by the probe.”
This instantly made Bayraktar a “traitor” within AKP eyes, but it also confirmed what people have been whispering since the corruption probe began: “The real target is Erdoğan.” Read More
What has happened in Turkey in the past 10 days is just mind-boggling.
First, on the morning of Dec. 17, an Istanbul prosecutor initiated a shocking investigation. Sons of three ministers, a bank manager, various politicians and businessmen were arrested on charges of widespread corruption. Some visual details, such as photos of huge stacks of cash money in private homes, were leaked to the press. Since four government ministers were explicitly accused, the media dubbed the investigation as “the biggest corruption case in Republican history.”
The government responded with a counter-attack. Erdoğan, his party and the pro-Erdoğan media defined the probe as a political conspiracy cooked up by “foreign powers,” especially Israel and its U.S. lobby. But they also blamed the Fethullah Gülen Movement, which is believed to be behind certain elements within the police and the judiciary. Soon, the government also initiated a very extensive purge within the police, and other state institutions, against “Gülenists,” real or perceived.
On Wed, Dec. 25, two of the accused ministers resigned. The third one, Erdoğan Bayraktar, did something less unexpected. On live TV, he declared that he is innocent yet still he will resign from the cabinet and the parliament. “But I believe Prime Minister Erdoğan should resign, too,” he shockingly said, “for he is the one who ordered all the construction projects that are questioned by the probe.”
This instantly made Bayraktar a “traitor” within AKP eyes, but it also confirmed what people have been whispering since the corruption probe began: “The real target is Erdoğan.” Read More
