Prosecutor’s office launches investigation into Şahin’s claim


Date posted: January 2, 2014

 İSTANBUL
Following a complaint submitted by the Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV), the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into a claim made by former Justice Minister and current Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin, who said on Monday that a Supreme Court of Appeals judge had asked Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen‘s opinion about a suspect whose case the court was hearing before delivering the final verdict.

A statement released by the Supreme Court of Appeals on Tuesday said that such a claim, which could harm the objectivity of the court, is not acceptable and added that if Şahin has any evidence, it should be handed over to the judiciary to start legal action on his claim.

The lawyer of the Turkish Islamic scholar, Nurullah Albayrak, said in a written statement that no conversation has taken place between his client and the judge, and rejected the allegations that the judge had sought the scholar’s opinion before delivering the final verdict concerning a businessman who was convicted in the case.

Şahin claimed that a high-level judge at the Supreme Court of Appeals had acted contrary to legal procedure and contacted Gülen before issuing his final verdict in the case against the businessman several years ago.

“What should I do in this case?” asked the judge, according to the claims of the former justice minister. He went on to say that Gülen had allegedly told the judge to do “what justice requires.”

Şahin’s claim came at a time when the AK Party government has accused prosecutors who have launched a far-reaching investigation into corruption and alleged bribery, fraud and tender rigging that involves high-level officials and ministers of acting according to the group interests of “an illegal structure and a gang within the state.”

Albayrak rejected the allegations and denied any contact between Gülen and the judge.

Source: Today's Zaman , January 2, 2014


Related News

Draft law on prep schools

The first adverse effect is related to unemployment. The AKP did not keep its promise to provide jobs at public institutions to all the prep school teachers who are not hired by the new private schools. Only teachers with six years of experience will have the chance of being hired at public schools. Thus, tens of thousands of prep school teachers will definitely lose their jobs since only the large, well-established prep schools can take the financial risks of re-establishing themselves as a new private school.

Yamanlar College student wins gold medal in int’l computer project competition

Mustafa Ege Şeker, a student of Yamanlar College in İzmir, has won a gold medal with a computer project he made for the 14th InfoMatrix International Computer Project Competition.

AK Party İstanbul head: Purge in state institutions began long before

Maintaining that the reassignment of thousands of people in the police force and dozens in the judiciary since the breaking of the corruption probe, in which four former ministers of the AK Party have also been implicated, should not be considered routine reassignments, Babuşcu said

An Indian professor’s reflections on Erdogan’s visit to India, crackdown on Gulen movement

There has been no evidence of any terrorist activity by the followers of Gulen in any part of the world including Turkey. In India, they have been running their institutions: schools, coaching Institutes, and dormitories for more than 15 years, but none has been accused of any kind of terrorism and crime.

The turmoil in Turkey – The terror threat is real and is made worse by Erdogan’s paranoia

Mr. Erdogan’s own Islamist and autocratic tendencies have also compounded the country’s vulnerability. Since an attempted coup last summer, the President has purged thousands of police officers and soldiers, and the resulting talent and resources gap may have damaged Ankara’s counterterror capabilities.

German gov’t dismisses parliamentary question on Hizmet

Responding to the parliamentary question, the German government, which is led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that an extensive assessment of the faith-based movement’s organizations and foundations in Germany had failed to find any evidence of involvement in any wrongdoing or illegal activity.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Fourth Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival in Los Angeles

Turkish witch-hunt against the Gulen movement lacks one thing: Evidence

US Cannot ‘Suspend’ Constitution for Gulen Extradition – Ex-Prosecutor

Mavi Marmara and Gülen’s critics: politics and principles

Van NGOs: Calling Hizmet movement ‘virus’ and ‘hashhashin’ unnaceptable

Fethullah Gulen: Killing of Russian envoy ‘heinous act’

2-month-old denied breast milk for 17 days while under detention with mother

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News