Deputy chairman of Republican People’s Party (CHP) files criminal complaint against PM Erdoğan.

Deputy chairman of Republican People’s Party (CHP) files criminal complaint against PM Erdoğan.(TZ).

Muharrem İnce, a deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has filed a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for failing to prove the existence of -- or do what is necessary against -- what the prime minister calls “a gang within the state.”

In his complaint, İnce called on Erdoğan to submit evidence to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to prove his claims of a shady parallel state that is allegedly working to disrupt the democratic progress of the country by conspiring against the government.

Otherwise, the prime minister should be brought to trial, either over his attempts to influence judicial officials and the judicial processes or for protecting criminals.

“If he avoids these duties, it will be certain that he committed the crime of ‘influencing a person performing official duties’ as defined in the Turkish Criminal Code’s [TCK] Article 277 or ‘slander’ as defined in TCK Article 267,” he said. “Based on these considerations, I kindly request the court to prepare a summary of proceedings about the defendant and send it to the Turkish Parliament,” he added.

Extralegal practices are everywhere, he continued, adding that governmental intervention will likely end the judicial independence eventually.

In his petition, İnce said that “it is quite obvious that a system in which the principle of the separation of powers is almost completely ignored and all power is being accumulated in the hands of the executive is not a state where rule of law prevails.”

One of the main tasks of a prime minister is to take measures to prevent crimes and launch investigations into those who are involved in such actions, the petition said.

At a later press conference İnce held on Wednesday at Parliament in Ankara he said that the government’s main goal is to block an investigation into bribery and corruption that went public with a series of raids on Dec. 17, 2013 from reaching “Number One.”

“They have removed or replaced over 2,000 police officers, and what is this endeavor all about?” he said. The answer, he continued, was that officials were trying to protect the prime minister. Erdoğan now wants “to create a gang within the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK),” he added. “If there is really a gang, Erdoğan is its chief,” İnce added.Hmmm……Erdogan: “Democracy is like a train. We shall get out when we arrive at the station we want.”