News / Turkey

Two Turkish police officers arrested in eavesdropping case

Sunday, 29 March 2015 4:23 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 29 March 2015 4:23 PM ]

Turkish police officers stand guard near a police station in the main tourist district of central Istanbul, Turkey, January 6, 2015. (© AFP)

Turkish authorities have arrested two former police officers as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged forging of official documents and eavesdropping on top officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sedat Zavar, a former police chief, and Ilker Usta were taken into custody at Istanbul airport late on Saturday following their extradition from Romania.

The pair faces up to 36 years in jail on charges of “forming a crime syndicate,” “violating privacy” and “illegally obtaining personal information.”

They are expected to stand trial on May 4.

Crackdown on police

Dozens of serving and former Turkish police officers have already been detained over the past few months as part of an investigation into alleged eavesdropping on Erdogan and other key individuals, including businessmen, politicians and government officials.

Many of the police officers arrested were reportedly involved in an anti-government corruption probe and have been removed from their posts.

Corruption scandal

Turkey plunged into a political crisis after dozens of government officials and prominent businessmen close to then Prime Minister and current President Erdogan were arrested in an inquiry on graft charges on December 17, 2013.

The scandal, which turned into a very serious challenge to Erdogan’s rule, also led to a cabinet reshuffle.

Erdogan denounced the corruption scandal as well as a string of leaks in the media, saying they were engineered by supporters of his rival, Fethullah Gulen, to undermine his government.