Judges sign off on own tap requests
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 17, 2008 00:00
İZMİR - Two judges are being tried in İzmir, charged with accepting bribes for tampering with judicial proceedings, after they inadvertently approved an investigating prosecutor’s application to tap their own phones, it was reported yesterday.
The two judges had approved Prosecutor Murat Gök’s application to tap a list phone numbers belonging to those suspected of accepting bribes. On the list were the numbers of the judges and those of their relatives, yet it is believed the judges failed to notice their own numbers among the long list, not once but 10 times.
One of the judges, after his arrest, was suspended and was called to resign. The other judge was first arrested and then released pending his trial. There are currently 15 people under arrest.
The investigation first began last February, when suspects accused of organized crime, filed a complaint claiming that some lawyers were asking between YTL 100,000 and 1 million in bribes to guarantee their release.
Wiretaps showed many lawyers were involved, with some being in direct contact with judges.
Conversation between sibling and alleged criminal
The prosecutor taped a deal between a judge’s brother and a suspect accused of being a gang leader for his release. The prosecutor asked for permission from the Justice Ministry to conduct a further investigation. After the release of the suspected gang leader, the judge, his brother and the defendant’s lawyer were taken into custody. Four other lawyers with close ties to the judge were also taken into custody.
It was reported that a special police team was formed to engage lawyers suspected of being involved in the bribery process.
One of the judges, after his arrest, was suspended and was called to resign. The other judge was first arrested and then released pending his trial. There are currently 15 people under arrest.
The investigation first began last February, when suspects accused of organized crime, filed a complaint claiming that some lawyers were asking between YTL 100,000 and 1 million in bribes to guarantee their release.
Wiretaps showed many lawyers were involved, with some being in direct contact with judges.
Conversation between sibling and alleged criminal
The prosecutor taped a deal between a judge’s brother and a suspect accused of being a gang leader for his release. The prosecutor asked for permission from the Justice Ministry to conduct a further investigation. After the release of the suspected gang leader, the judge, his brother and the defendant’s lawyer were taken into custody. Four other lawyers with close ties to the judge were also taken into custody.
It was reported that a special police team was formed to engage lawyers suspected of being involved in the bribery process.