Flautre accuses Erdoğan of being ‘irresponsible’ in corruption scandal

29-12-2013 – Hélène Flautre, the co-chairwoman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, speaks in an exclusive interview with the Cihan news agency.

Hélène Flautre, the co-chairwoman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, released a statement on Saturday in which she criticized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “irresponsible” for making accusations against those investigating the current corruption probe.

“I observe the recent developments in Turkey with extreme vigilance,” said Flautre, underlining that the credibility of the prime minister is at stake. She criticized Erdoğan for making accusations against those investigating the probe rather than calling for light to be shed on the “serious allegations of corruption involving his family.”

“Allegations are certainly not findings, and justice must now continue its work in serenity and independence,” Flautre said. Flautre’s statement came after the Council of State’s decision on Friday to cancel the Erdoğan government’s executive order requiring police and prosecutors to notify their superiors of all investigations, which would have effectively given the government advance warning of investigations that should be secret.

“This is a serious political crisis and the European Union must stand firmly on the side of the defense of the rule of law, avoiding any exploitation of the situation,” her statement added.

After the cancellation of the order by the Council of State on Friday, Erdoğan said he would prosecute Turkey’s top judicial body if he had the authority because it “committed a crime.”

Erdoğan claimed the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) committed a crime by issuing a statement about a judicial police regulation while it was being assessed at the Council of State. On Thursday, the HSYK harshly criticized the new judicial police regulation, saying that it is in violation of the Turkish Constitution.

The Erdoğan government’s interference in and pressure on the judiciary was met with a huge backlash from opposition parties, bar associations, advocacy groups and the media. It has raised concerns of an attempted government cover-up of the corruption probe that has implicated prominent people in the business community and government. http://www.todayszaman.com/news-335180-flautre-accuses-erdogan-of-being-irresponsible-in-corruption-scandal.html