Prosecutor & Judge Face Trial Over Misconduct ⚖️

The judge and the prosecutor who oversaw a major corruption investigation into people in the inner circle of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will face trial at the Supreme Court of Appeals as the court has agreed to accept an indictment charging them with misconduct.

Prosecutor Muammer Akkaş and judge Süleyman Karaçöl will appear before the Fifth Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals for the first hearing of the case on Nov. 25, Doğan news agency reported on Aug. 7.

Akkaş was in charge of the corruption probe that became public on Dec. 25, 2013. He ordered the detention of dozens of suspects, including a number of government-affiliated figures and businessmen. However, the İstanbul Police Department, which saw an extensive purge of its top officers following the first wave of the graft probe, on Dec. 17, did not comply with the order.

Shortly after the order, the prosecutors involved in the Dec. 25 investigation, including Akkaş, were removed from office on the grounds that they had abused their authority. The government assigned new prosecutors to the investigation who later dropped the charges against all suspects.

Among the suspects of the Dec. 25 investigation was President Erdoğan's son Bilal, businessmen Mehmet Cengiz, Mustafa Latif Topbaş and Yasin al-Qadi, a Saudi businessman who is on the US Treasury Department's “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” list.

Akkaş and Karaçöl, along with the prosecutors involved in the Dec. 17, 2013 probe, were suspended since then. In March, the 2nd Chamber of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) allowed the prosecution of Akkaş and Karaçöl.

Akkaş faces up to three years in jail on the grounds of “abuse of authority” while Karaçöl could be imprisoned for two years for “neglecting duty.”

43 suspects of the corruption probe, including Bilal Erdoğan, are among the plaintiffs of the criminal case against Akkaş and Karaçöl.

The suspects of the Dec. 25 probe were accused of money laundering, bribery, tender-rigging and corruption. The organizations and companies that were also involved in these offenses were the Turkuaz Group (owners of the Sabah daily and the ATV station); the Bosphorus 360 construction company; BİM, a Turkish discount grocer; the Prime Ministry Development Agency; the Kalyoncu Group; the İstanbul Public Housing Corporation (KİPTAŞ); the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality; and the Foundation of Youth and Education in Turkey (TÜRGEV), of whose executive board Bilal Erdoğan is a member.