“Everything we are doing here is done with the permission and under the direction of public prosecutors and judges. No other option is imaginable. We told them that what they [the court] did was not lawful,” Şimşek complained in the wake of the seizure by an Ankara court of records of wiretaps carried out by the directorate.
The Sincan 1st High Criminal Court decided in early October to examine the records of lawful interceptions conducted by TİB, going through each record to find out whether TİB had monitored the phone conversations of Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV) President Ömer Faruk Eminağaoğlu. The decision came shortly after Eminağaoğlu petitioned the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office, demanding to find out whether his and YARSAV’s phone lines were being monitored.
An Ankara court raided the TİB building on Thursday without prior notice to the directorate. Wiretap records were taken by the court, sparking concern that the seizure could have a negative impact on a number of ongoing probes.
TİB officials noted that an examination of the records by the Ankara court would put into doubt the confidentiality of those probes.
“Our directorate has been functioning since 2006. What we have done so far is within the boundaries of law and awareness of prosecutors and judges,” Şimşek added.
