Turkish police arrest dozens in wiretapping scandal

Nearly 40 people were arrested across Turkey on Wednesday as part of the government's latest efforts to round up suspects linked to a wiretapping scandal against officials.

The chief prosecutor's office in Istanbul had issued a total of 54 arrest warrants, according to Turkish media.

Suspects apprehended in past raids have been police officers, judges and prosecutors allegedly involved in eavesdropping on the country's politicians, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was serving as prime minister in 2013, when the scandal erupted.

During the course of the scandal, incriminating recordings leaked via social media indicated corruption at the highest levels of government. Among the conversations leaked, was one that emerged in February 2014, in which Erdogan allegedly instructed his son Bilal to dispose of 30 million euros ($34 million) in cash. The news broke just ahead of local elections, angering officials in Ankara.

Erdogan and his supporters accuse his archrival Fethullah Gulen of running a "parallel state" and orchestrating the wiretaps in a bid to bring down Turkish politicians, allegations which Gulen denies.

An arrest warrant was issued for the US-based cleric in December. On Tuesday, a Turkish court issued a second warrant for his arrest, upgrading the charges to include terrorism.

The court also issued an arrest warrant against police officer-turned journalist Emre Uslu, who is suspected of having leaked the recordings online and tweeted details of raids against Gulen supporters prior to their occurrence. Uslu, believed to be based in the US, has denied the claims.

Turkish police have carried out several mass sweeps in recent months, including one in December which targeted journalists. The EU and the US condemned the mass arrests as incompatible with the principles of democracy.

kms/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)