Civil inspectors probe Ankara police ties with crime group

ANKARA

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced the initiation of a comprehensive investigation into potential links between Ankara police and a criminal syndicate following the suspension of three high-ranking officers.

The suspended officers include Murat Çelik, the deputy provincial police chief in charge of combating organized crime, Kerem Gökay Öner, the branch manager overseeing organized crime investigations and Şevket Demircan, the deputy head of the organized crime branch.

Reports from local media outlets have suggested connections between the scrutinized criminal organization and Ayhan Bora Kaplan, purportedly its leader. Kaplan, previously known to law enforcement, was apprehended last September at Ankara's Esenboğa Airport while attempting to flee the country.

"The relevant report of the property inspectors will be completed in a short time. They are examining every step taken and phone records one by one. We will share this prepared report with the public in full detail," Yerlikaya said in a statement on May 15.

"Whichever institution has a structure against our President [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan], our government and our politicians, we will go to the end, identify those structures and bring them to justice."

The investigation into the group's activities encompasses a wide range of allegations, including the establishment of a criminal network, intentional injury and deprivation of liberty.

"Whoever joins forces with terrorist organizations, their extensions and organized crime syndicates, and tries to "play tricks" on our president, our government and our politicians with FETÖ tactics... we will destroy their games and traps," the minister added.

Meanwhile, the investigation aims to uncover details regarding the activities of the police officers, including inquiries into the conduct of secret witnesses and allegations of attempts to manipulate the legal process, local media said.

Serdar Sertçelik, identified as a "secret witness" in the Kaplan case, allegedly fled abroad after making allegations against the police bureau in Ankara.

Codenamed "M7" in the investigation, Sertçelik claimed coercion into becoming a secret witness and accused the police of attempting to implicate former ministers and active bureaucrats in the case, wrote daily Hürriyet.

He further alleged that the Ankara police's organized crime units were endeavoring to "orchestrate a coup" through his involvement, the paper said.

In addition to the suspended officers, searches were conducted at the homes and vehicles of Ufuk Gültekin, a commissioner within the same office, and Murat Çelik's driver, Yılmaz Öztürk.

In response to the claims made by Sertçelik, the chief public prosecutor's office in Ankara reported the detention of four public officials from the bureau.

The investigation is broad-ranging, covering charges such as rebellion against the government, attempting to sway judicial officers, favoring criminals and breach of confidentiality.

The daily added that Ankara police chief Engin Dinç might also face dismissal. Dinç had previously testified as a suspect in the 2007 murder case of Armenian-origin journalist Hrant Dink.