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Turkey ministers resign amid anti-corruption sweep
12/25/2013 12:28:43 PM
- Two ministers resign after their sons were arrested in recent days
- The Prime Minister blames the instability in his government on political rivals
- But prosecutors in Istanbul have said corruption is the culprit
- The Prime Minister seems to be in a power struggle with a cleric in Pennsylvania
Istanbul (CNN) -- The government of key U.S. ally Turkey began to crack this week. There are rumblings that an Islamic cleric living in the United States may have something to do it.
But prosecutors in Istanbul have said corruption is the culprit.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accepted the resignations of his interior and economics ministers, whose sons were recently arrested in an anti-graft sting, semi-official news agency Anadolu reported.
Economics Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler handed in their letters.
Their sons were detained in a roundup that included the head of a public bank, several bureaucrats and high-profile businessmen. It came after a two-year probe by the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office into allegations of corruption including money laundering, gold smuggling and bribery.
The sweep comes in the run up to local elections in Turkey, and Erdogan has been expected to reshuffle his cabinet, because some of his ministers will be running for office.
Political rivalry
One of Erdogan's old allies who turned against him could be having an influence on the crackdown, which Erdogan has called a "dirty, dirty operation" aimed at toppling his government.
The Prime Minister appears to be in an open power struggle with former political backer Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is an Islamic cleric living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, and his supporters are thought to be key in positions within the police force and the judiciary.
Top government officials accused Gulen recently of trying to establish a "parallel state" within the Turkish government.
The Hizmet Movement, the name preferred by Gulen's followers, has in the past thrown its support behind the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, led by Erdogan, but the two have been publicly at odds over the last month.
"It was a forced marriage and now it's an ugly divorce," said Ahmet Sik, a journalist who wrote a book on Gulen and his influence within the judiciary and the police force.
Retaliation?
In the wake of the arrests, Interior Minister Guler, who controls the police force, dismissed scores of senior police officers. The government justified the purge by accusing them of carrying out the corruption arrests outside of the chain of command.
Journalists were hindered from covering the mass firings.
Journalists accredited with the Turkish police were ordered to hand in their credentials as well as keys to the media briefing rooms in some police stations. "If there are any developments or press statements press members will be invited," read a statement from the police.
Reporters who had long worked the police beat said the ban was unprecedented.
According to press reports, Guler had no prior knowledge of the corruption probe which led to the arrest of his son and the son of the economy minister. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Erdogan has repeatedly claimed, since the corruption arrests began on Tuesday, that international organizations with branches inside Turkey are trying to destabilize the country.
"This country has never been and never will be the operational space of international organizations. We will not allow the interest lobby, the war lobby, the blood lobby to carry out an operation under the guise of a corruption operation," he said during a speech on Sunday in the Black Sea town of Giresun.
Turks go to the polls in March to elect local officials.
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