Turkish government in crisis over corruption scandal

Series Title
Series Details 27.12.13
Publication Date 27/12/2013
Content Type

EUObserver and other news sources reported on the 27 December 2013 that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had reshuffled almost half of the entire cabinet - 10 ministers - in a bid to stave off calls that he should resign over a corruption scandal.

One of the ministers who lost his job was Egemen Bagis, the EU affairs minister and chief negotiator for Turkey's EU membership.

The moves came amid an ongoing police investigation into allegations of illicit money transfers to Iran and government officials having taken bribes for construction projects.

BBC News reported that Turkey's military had said it did not want to get involved in 'political arguments', amid the major political corruption scandal.

Deutsche Welle suggested that many had speculated that Erdogan's political rivals in the Gulen movement, headed by preacher Fethullah Gulen, used associates in the judiciary and police to bring the scandal to light.

France24 reported that the movement founded by Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, with its effective communication strategy and connections to police, had emerged as a powerful enemy of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On 6 January 2014, Deutsche Welle shed a light on the Erdogan family, which had been drawn into the corruption probe.

BBC News reported on 7 January 2014 that Turkey had removed 350 police officers from their posts in the capital Ankara, following the corruption probe targeting people close to the government.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://euobserver.com/foreign/122595
Related Links
ESO: Background information: Turkey’s Erdogan says corruption probe aims to smear government http://www.europeansources.info/record/turkeys-erdogan-says-corruption-probe-aims-to-smear-government/
BBC News, 27.12.13: Turkey: Army will not get involved in politics http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25525923
Deutsche Welle, 28.12.13: Erdogan points fingers in corruption scandal http://dw.de/p/1Ai3J
ESO: Background Information: Fresh clashes between protesters, police in Istanbul http://www.europeansources.info/record/fresh-clashes-between-protesters-police-in-istanbul/
Wikipedia: Fethullah Gülen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fethullah_G%C3%BClen
Wikipedia: Gülen movement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BClen_movement
France24, 28.12.13: Turkey’s Gülen: Opposition movement or cult? http://www.france24.com/en/20131228-turkey-gulen-opposition-movement-cult-erdogan-islam-muslim-hizmet/
Hurriyet Daily News, 30.12.13: Turkish gov’t vows to take action against judges and prosecutors board http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-govt-vows-to-take-action-against-judges-and-prosecutors-board.aspx
Hurriyet Daily News, 31.12.13: Turkey finishes 2013 with corruption row http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-finishes-2013-with-corruption-row.aspx?pageID=238&nID=60354&NewsCatID=338
Blog: Policy Review, December 2013: It is a perilous moment for the rule of law in Turkey http://www.policyreview.eu/it-is-a-perilous-moment-for-the-rule-of-law-in-turkey/
EurActiv, 02.01.14: Turkey claims fending off ‘coup attempt’ http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/turkey-claims-fending-coup-attem-news-532567
Spiegel Online International, 02.01.14: Erdogan's Endgame: Corruption Scandal Threatens Turkish Leader http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/erdogan-threatened-by-expanding-turkey-corruption-scandal-a-941138.html
Euro|Topics, 03.01.14: Graft affair plunges Erdoğan into crisis http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/aktuell.html/NEWSLETTER-2014-01-03-Graft-affair-plunges-Erdo-an-into-crisis
ESO: Background information: Turkey Sledgehammer trial: Key coup sentences upheld http://www.europeansources.info/record/turkey-sledgehammer-trial-key-coup-sentences-upheld/
Social Europe Journal, 06.01.14: Turkish Politics At A Crossroads? http://www.social-europe.eu/2014/01/turkish-politics/
BBC News, 07.01.14: Hundreds of Turkish police officers dismissed http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25634542
Deutsche Welle, 06.01.14: Erdogan family drawn into corruption probe http://dw.de/p/1Am43
The New York Times, 08.01.14: Turkish Police Purge Broadens in Corruption Inquiry http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/world/europe/turkey-corruption-inquiry.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
EUObserver [Opinion], 07.01.14: The ‘grand theory’ and the corruption scandal in Turkey http://euobserver.com/opinion/122641
BBC News, 08.01.14: Police purge in Turkey spreads to regions http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25650155
Euronews, 07.01.14: More police sackings as Turkish government roots out ‘plot’ http://www.euronews.com/2014/01/07/more-police-sackings-as-turkish-government-roots-out-plot/
BBC News, 07.01.14: A state crisis in Turkey? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-25643222
European Commission, 27.12.13: Statement of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Štefan Füle http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/fule/headlines/news/2013/12/20131227_en.htm
Deutsche Welle [Opinion], 09.01.14: Opinion: Erdogan has overestimated himself http://dw.de/p/1AnbK
Euro|Topics: Who's saying what: Trial of strength for Erdoğan http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/debatten/links-2014-01-erdogan/

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