15 January 2008 / EMRULLAH BAYRAK, DIYARBAKIR
Four out of 33 businessmen who were apprehended on Sunday on charges of corruption and misappropriation of public funds in operations across several cities including Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Batman and Ankara were arrested yesterday.
The businessmen, who were suspected of involvement in the corruption of public bids, rigging auctions, bribes and misappropriation of funds, were taken into custody by the Diyarbakır Police Department’s anti-smuggling and criminal organization teams. All the suspects were sent to the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office after their interrogation at the Diyarbakır Police Department. Ten businessmen were released after questioning while 23 of them were kept in custody at the request of the court, four of whom have been officially arrested. Police have so far not found any clues that indicate a connection between the businessmen and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The police declined to make any further comments on the case.
