ERGENEKON: GENERALS FACE PROSECUTOR; ERZINCAN PROSECUTOR ARRESTED
BIA Net
Feb 17 2010
Turkey
General Attorney Cihaner was arrested in the scope of the Ergenekon
case. General Berk was allowed more time to give his statement as a
"suspect". Rear Admiral Ilgar had his statement taken in Izmir.
Erol ONDEROGLU [email protected] Istanbul – BIA News Center17 February
2010, Wednesday General Attorney Ilhan Cihaner was taken into custody
on Tuesday (16 February) in Erzincan in north-eastern Anatolia in
the scope of the Ergenekon Investigation. 3rd Army Commander General
Saldiray Berk was given ten days to give his statement. One military
officer was detained. The Foca Landing Ships Commander Rear Admiral
Mehmet Fatih Ä°lgar gave his statement in Izmir.
"Ergenekon" is a clandestine, Kemalist ultra-nationalist terror
organization with connections to the Turkish military and security
forces. The group is accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
Erzurum Special Authority Procecutor Osman Å~^anal runs the Ergenekon
Investigation in Erzincan. He requested the statement of "suspect"
General Berk to be given until 26 February.
Prosecutor Å~^anal is summoning Berk to the court for the second time.
He informed the General Staff Presidency to apply for "police
compulsion" in case Berk does not give his statement within ten days.
General Attorney Cihaner in custody in Erzincan The General Staff
had informed the prosecutor that Berk would not appear to give his
statement by forwarding a letter of apology of Berk’s lawyer covering
the dates from 9-14 February. Eventually, the prosecution applied to
the General Staff to get to know the reason of the apology.
General Attorney Cihaner initiated an investigation into the
communities in Erzincan. He was taken into custody after his courthouse
office and his home had been searched.
General Attorney Å~^anal carried out the search of Cihaner’s office
and home in collaboration with Erzincan Anti-Terror branch manager
Murat Gunbeyi and a police team. The Erzincan police team joined the
search upon the Å~^anal’s request.
Cihaner’s lawyer Hamit Sekman claimed on the Turkish news channel
NTV that the search did not comply with the line of proceeding. He
said that "the truth about his client will emerge".
At the same time, a convoy of two SUVs and 20 trucks of the
Communication Regiment Command in Erzincan affiliated to the 3rd Army
Command set off around 9.00 am for a winter exercise in the district
of SarıkamıÅ~_ (province of Kars) on the Armenian border. The convoy
was accompanied by police.
Rear Admiral Ä°lgar gives his statement in Izmir In the course of the
same investigation a statement is being taken from Special Authority
Public Deputy Attorney General Mehmet Dogar.
Moreover,Special Authority Public Prosecutor Fatih Genc takes the
statement of Foca Landing Ships Commander Rear General Ä°lgar.
Rear General Ä°lgar arrived at the Izmir Courthouse in a Mercedes
Vito with tinted windows. Due to strict security measures, nobody
despite courthouse officials was allowed to the floor where Ä°lgar
gave his statement.
Commander Gencoglu arrested Previously, EskiÅ~_ehir (west of Ankara)
Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Colonel Recep Gencoglu was arrested
within the scope of the Ergenekon investigation. Gencoglu allegedly
directed operations related to the Ä°smailaga Community which paved
the way to Cihaner’s prosecution.
Three construction workers taken into custody in Erzincan in regard to
Ergenekon were released. Their homes and workplace, the YaylabaÅ~_ı
municipality public housing construction site, were searched while
the workers were being interrogated.
Finally, the Erzurum 2nd High Criminal Court arrested military officer
N.O. upon the statement of Ortatepe (Erzincan) village headman T.K.