Ergin met with Council of State President Mustafa Birden in the morning at the Council of State building. Afterwards, the justice minister departed for the Supreme Court of Appeals to meet with the court’s head, Hasan Gerçeker. Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) President Emine Ülker Tarhan was also present at that meeting, which lasted nearly one hour. Responding to questions from reporters following the meeting, Gerçeker said the only item on their agenda with the minister was the judicial reform. Ergin also said, following his talks with Gerçeker and Birden, that his meetings were necessary consultations. “I discussed issues related to the judicial reform with both the head of Supreme Court of Appeals and the head of the Council of State,” he said. Ergin met with Constitutional Court President Haşim Kılıç later in the afternoon to ask whether the top judge had any proposals regarding a change to the structure of the Constitutional Court.
The government has taken the initiative to speed up its long-expected reform in the wake of recent tension triggered by an HSYK decision. The HSYK on Feb. 17 stripped specially authorized Erzurum Prosecutor Osman Şanal of his extraordinary authority over a probe into Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor İlhan Cihaner, now jailed on charges of membership in a terrorist organization and falsification of documents. The decision sparked indignation in various segments of society as it cast doubt on the impartiality and independence of the judiciary and urged the government to swiftly overhaul the judicial system. The decision also kicked off tension between the judiciary and the government as government representatives including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the HSYK, stating that the board had made a political decision to protect criminals from being brought to justice, while Gerçeker stood behind the controversial decision and argued that the board had acted lawfully.
Earlier this week, President Abdullah Gül hosted Gerçeker and Birden separately, exchanging views with them on judicial reform, for which Gül had earlier expressed an urgent need.Gül also hosted Kılıç, and Ergin on Wednesday over the same matter.
