Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin removed from post



A number of senior officers have been relieved of their duties since Wednesday morning after police arrested 52 people in three seperate raids across Istanbul on Tuesday as part of an ongoing scandal.

Istanbul's police chief has been removed from his post, local media reported on Thursday, two days after the sons of cabinet ministers and prominent businessmen close to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan were detained in a corruption probe.

Huseyin Capkin, the chief of police of Turkey's commercial capital, had been at his post since June 2009, except for a 16-day spell as governor of an eastern province in May 2010. He will be replaced with Selami Altinok, the governor of the Aksaray province.

A number of senior officers have been relieved of their duties since Wednesday morning after police arrested 52 people in three seperate raids across Istanbul on Tuesday as part of an ongoing scandal. The concerned individuals - which include Istanbul's Fatih district mayor, the general manager of Halkbank, the sons of government ministers and top businessmen - are being charged with corruption, bribery and illegal smuggling.

The fact that a number of senior officers have lost their jobs indicates a spat between the government and certain members of the legal system, with many commentators digging further to suggest that the raids were part of an ongoing clash between the ruling AK Party and former allies from Fethullah Gulen's Hizmet Movement.

Unconfirmed rumors suggest that a number of ministers have submitted verbal resignations, as prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to reshuffle the cabinet ahead of local elections in March. Erdogan denounced the raids and detentions as a "dirty operation" to smear his administration only months ahead of local elections critics view as a test of his authority.

A spokesman for Turkey's EU ambassador Egemen Bagis has claimed that photographs of a money counting machine supposedly belonging to Baris Guler, the son of minister Muammer Guler, actually belonged to police. There have also been videos circulating the Turkish media showing shoe boxes filled with cash supposedly belonging to Halkbank general manager Suleyman Aslan, but these shots were later revealed to have been taken from a foreign website.

Fethullah Gulen has denied any involvement in scandal, which many believe is an attempt to discredit the AK Party and remove them from power. Deputy prime minister Bulent Arinc has also said that the government would not obstruct the investigation process and would not stand by its ministers if they are found guilty.

Meanwhile in a recent development, nine of those arrested in the scandal, including two women, have been referred to court.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=...ticleID=125292
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hmm... ada yang nda akur lagi di Turki...