Three more Cabinet ministers quit in graft-troubled Turkey
27 Dec 2013 4:35 AM IST
Economy minister Zafer Caglayan and interior minister Muammer Guler announced their resignations in statements carried by the state-run Anadolu Agency. Environment and urban planning minister Erdogan Bayraktar announced his resignation from both the cabinet and parliament in a live interview with the private NTV television during which he also urged the prime minister to step down.
All three ministers denied any wrongdoing. Caglayan's and Guler's sons, along with the chief executive officer of the state-run bank Halkbank, are among 24 people who have been arrested on bribery charges. Bayraktar's son was detained as part of the probe but later released from custody. Media reports said police have seized $4.5 million in cash that was stashed in shoe boxes in the home of the bank's CEO, while more than 1 million dollars in cash was reportedly discovered in the home of Guler's son, Baris.
All three ministers denied any wrongdoing. Caglayan's and Guler's sons, along with the chief executive officer of the state-run bank Halkbank, are among 24 people who have been arrested on bribery charges. Bayraktar's son was detained as part of the probe but later released from custody. Media reports said police have seized $4.5 million in cash that was stashed in shoe boxes in the home of the bank's CEO, while more than 1 million dollars in cash was reportedly discovered in the home of Guler's son, Baris.
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