Following the discovery of illegal wiretapping of the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s office and home, Turkey’s intelligence agency has identified four civil servants who are “potential suspects”, Turkish daily ‘Hurriyet’ reports.
The intelligence agency subsequently submitted the identities of the people and bugs found in Erdogan’s office to the Ankara prosecutor. Prosecutor Cetin Durak adding more evidence to his investigation of the wiretapping on the prime minister.
Thus far, no legal action has been taken against the civil servants, as the prosecutor did not consider the memo submitted by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) as evidence, but instructed the police to further their investigations on the people. The four suspects gave testimony to the Prime Ministry Inspection Board; all denied any involvement in the wiretapping.
On 21st December 2012, Prime Minister Erdogan announced publicly that wiretapping devices had been found at his office and home, calling the discovery blatant espionage. An investigation was immediately launched by an Ankara prosecutor. Meanwhile Erdogan blamed security forces with links to the self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen for the wire taps and said even the president, the speaker of the House and the chief of General staff had been wiretapped in the hopes of blackmailing them.
Many of the bodyguards working at the Prime Ministry, as well as security forces believed to have access to the Prime Ministry offices, have testified.
Cetin intensified the investigation and recently called on the MIT to produce the evidence it has with regard to wiretapping. These devices, whose serial numbers have been already erased, were sent to the prosecutor last month and taken under the protection of property and the evidence unit of the courthouse.
Before handing the listening devices to the prosecutor, the MIT demanded a detailed technical analysis of them from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and attached the report prepared by the science watchdog to the file it introduced to the prosecutor. Finding the report satisfactory, the prosecutor did not deem it necessary to renew the technical investigation.
