9 Military Officers Arrested on Espionage Charges
Nine military officers, out of 13 who had been referred to court by the İstanbul Prosecutor's Office, were in court on Wednesday on charges of blackmail and espionage, while four others were released.
A total of 16 suspects had been taken to the Beşiktaş Courthouse in İstanbul yesterday, including one civilian and 15 military officers. Prosecutor Fikret Seçen then referred the 13 officers to court, demanding their arrest. The other three were released by the prosecution after questioning. The suspects testified at the İstanbul 13th High Criminal court until after midnight on Wednesday.
The officers were arrested on charges of membership in a criminal organization; destroying, damaging and falsifying documents relating to state security; illegally obtaining documents related to state security and illegally acquiring confidential documents for political or military espionage purposes.”
Eight suspects, including four other military officers and four Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) members and a higher ranking bureaucrat inside the Defense Ministry, were taken to the courthouse yesterday. Their interrogation before the judge continued well into the late evening.
The Taraf daily yesterday reported that the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) was assisting in the search for three foreign women under the names of İnesa, Lia Rahmatova and Nona Burduli. According to the paper, these foreigners, who are believed to still be in Turkey, are suspected of liaising between the suspects and foreign military services to whom the stolen information was sold.
The arrests are a culmination of investigations that began in August this year into a gang inside the Naval Forces which had arranged prostitutes for senior military, police officers and bureaucrats for the purposes of using recorded footage to blackmail their victims. As the operation expanded, it turned into an espionage investigation that included highly confidential and strategic military documents.
There are 49 suspects in the investigation, most of whom are military officers on active duty, including four cryptology experts from TÜBİTAK. In coming days, two admirals, five senor colonels and six other members of the military are also expected to be brought for their testimonies. The prosecution yesterday said an arrest warrant had been issued for four other soldiers who are currently abroad.
In August police had seized documents with sensitive information at the houses of those who at the time were thought to be prostitution and blackmail suspects, which they then relayed to the MİT for advice on whether these documents could have been sent to foreign intelligence units. This is how the investigation expanded to reveal the espionage.
29 October 2010, Friday
TODAY’S ZAMAN İSTANBUL
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