Turkey opens top officers' trial over eavesdropping
Iran Press TV
1/2/2015 4:43:01 PM -- Turkey begins the trial of 13 former police officers on the charge of setting up bugs to illegally eavesdrop on the calls of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while he was prime minister in 2011.
The first hearing in the case of the illegal wiretapping of Erdogan's office started in Ankara on Friday. Eight defendants appeared before the court with the police in pursuit of others who still are at large.
The defendants, accused of carrying out and aiding political espionage, could be jailed for up to 36 years and six months if found guilty.
They were reportedly arrested in 2014 as part of a crackdown on what the Turkish president has described as a 'parallel state' within the security forces loyal to his ally-turned-foe, Fethullah Gulen.
The probe is linked to corruption allegations against the president and cabinet ministers.
More than 100 serving and former police officers were arrested in July 2014 as part of a wiretapping investigation.
The officers have been accused of fabricating a probe as cover for spying on top figures since 2010, including Erdogan, cabinet members and the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, Hakan Fidan.
Many of the police officers arrested were involved in an anti-government corruption probe and were removed from their posts earlier last year.
Also in December 2014, Turkish police raided a newspaper and a television station with close links to Gulen and detained a number of journalists.
Turkey plunged into political crisis after dozens of government officials and prominent businessmen close to the Turkish premier were arrested for inquiry on graft charges on December 17, 2013.
Erdogan denounced the corruption scandal as well as a string of damaging leaks in the media, saying they were engineered by Gulen's supporters to undermine his government. Gulen has repeatedly denied any involvement.
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