General Staff stays silent on Bülent Arınç assassination probe

Ankara Specially Authorized Prosecutor Mustafa Bilgili has been conducting the investigation that was launched in December 2009 after two members of the military were caught spying outside Arınç’s home in Ankara. Sources close to the investigation say that the General Staff has so far refused to share any information or documents, asserting that since the documents requested contain state secrets, under Turkish law, they cannot constitute evidence of a crime.

When the investigation was launched two years ago, Judge Kadir Kayan searched the archives of the General Staff for 12 consecutive days. Kayan had been allowed to search the archives but was strictly barred from taking any documents that might be relevant to the alleged plot to assassinate Arınç. He was only allowed to take notes. The prosecution’s investigation is still under way.

The refusal of the General Staff has been impeding the probe. Meanwhile, the same sources say the Defense Ministry, as well as some other public agencies, has declined to share information on the same grounds.

Purportedly, some 200 queries have been officially filed by the prosecutor. The absence of the necessary evidence has also slowed down the preparation of the indictment.