MİT appealed the prosecutor’s move to summon Fidan to testify on Thursday, arguing that the prosecutor’s office should have asked permission from the prime minister, but prosecutor Sadrettin Sarıkaya rejected the appeal on Friday and insisted on Fidan’s testimony while issuing warrants for the others. In the latest development, Sarıkaya was removed from the case over the weekend.Although many insist that the investigation of the MİT officials should go deeper because it is an organization with suspected anti-democratic formations, they say the operation should not involve Fidan, who has a clean record and has won the nation’s trust.
Bugün’s Gültekin Avcı discusses the removal of the prosecutor overseeing the KCK following his attempt to summon the MİT undersecretary and four others to testify as part of the KCK probe on the grounds that he does not have the authority to do so, and he is highly critical of the move to remove the prosecutor. He thinks it is impossible to finish off Ergenekon, a clandestine crime network which has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government, and juntas. “I have been saying for years that without the examination of the General Staff and MİT archives, it is impossible to see the big picture in the Ergenekon case. The investigation of the MİT officials aimed to find out if staff was acting as a bridge between the deep leg of MİT and the KCK. But those who did not understand the importance of the issue saw this operation as targeting MİT head Fidan, who I find successful,” explained Avcı.
Star’s Sedat Laçiner, who, as he says, has difficulty in understating the latest developments regarding MİT officials, accepts that Fidan was the most qualified person to be appointed to head MİT; however, having Fidan and several good men there is not enough to clean MİT quickly and thoroughly. “A MİT that has not been reformed or restructured places its leader in trouble no matter who he is. This is what I think,” says Laçiner. His suggestion for the settlement of the crisis over MİT involves Turkey immediately putting an end to the old MİT, which does not befit Turkey, and creating a new MİT, one that is harmonious with democratic values.
Yeni Şafak’s Hilal Kaplan thinks there is a need for an operation to cleanse MİT of anti-democratic formations; however, she believes this operation should not be conducted through the inclusion of the MİT head, who was appointed to lead the institution two years ago and has won the trust of the people. She thinks the reactions against the latest developments are mostly due to the inclusion of MİT head Fidan among the suspects. “In short, yes to the cleansing of MİT but no to placing shackles on the political will,” she says.
