About us | Advertising | Contact | Get Home Delivery | Archive
Mar 22, 2010 Homepage
News
Business
Interviews
Columnists
Op-Ed
Arts & Culture
Expat Zone
Features
Travel
Leisure
Life
Cartoons
Women
Health Briefs
Weird But True
Sports
Turkish Press Review
Today's think tanks
Turkey in Foreign Press

Columnists
BÜLENT KORUCU b.korucu@todayszaman.com Columnists

Lack of grounds for legal action or lack of jurisdiction


The statement of the General Staff's Military Prosecutor's Office about the controversial document seems like a decision on the lack of grounds for legal action; however, it is actually like an announcement of a lack of jurisdiction. There were two questions that were pondered: First, is the document is authentic? Second, was it prepared in the chain of command within the General Staff? The answer to the second question is clearly given as “no.”

Today's interactive toolbox
Bookmark and Share
Video Photo Audio
Send to print Send to my friend
Post your comments
Read comments

As for the option described as being “more perilous,” it is said, “There is no such thing.” After all, everybody was expecting this. It is also important that the statement is not skipped over but explained in a detailed way. It is understood that the doubts of the public are considered and a response to them was attempted.

The other side of the medal is left a little ambiguous. I mean the parts about the authenticity of the document and signatures of Col. Dursun Çiçek are more like an explanation of a “lack of evidence.” Examinations about the document and the reports are given in a detailed way. Yet, on the grounds that the document is a photocopy and there is no further evidence, it is understood that the decision of “no need for prosecution” was made.

The notation indicating that the document is a photocopy in addition to the opinion of institutions that conducted the criminal examination that the signatures belong to Çiçek has had an impact on the result. This situation forms the Achilles heel of the statement and decision. Everybody agrees that the signatures are similar. Besides, the following expression in the report of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) National Institute of Electronic and Encryption Research (UEKAE) is interesting: “An unusual situation concerning elements that are not present in the authentic document that are added to the document later is not found.”

The conclusion drawn by the military prosecution on the basis of the photocopy notation is largely open to questioning: “It is not seen as necessary to further examine the fact that the signatures of the suspect that signed in the presence of the military prosecutor do not match up with his signatures on various documents; considering this will not affect the result of the investigation.” If two different signatures remain as an unanswered question in public consciousness, it turns into a doubt that could spread to the entire decision. It has a lot of meanings, from prevarication to misleading authorities. And, naturally, it bears legal consequences. At this point, it is the duty of judicial prosecutors and the decision does not become a lack of grounds for legal action, but a lack of jurisdiction. The document was seized in the office of an Ergenekon suspect's lawyer. It is known that the Ergenekon terrorist gang forges fake documents and tries to present themselves as a legitimate part of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The document shows that their search on the issue continues.

To sum up, the Military Prosecutor's Office says the following: As an institution, the TSK is out of this issue. The signature on the document may belong to Col. Çiçek; however, this is not certain because the document is a photocopy. It is true that the signature on the record of statement is different, but further examination is not needed.

26 June 2009, Friday
BÜLENT KORUCU
   
Articles of Today
Basic (wrong) instincts
ANDREW FINKEL
Wasted youth
AYŞE KARABAT
Tough days for Obama
AMANDA PAUL
İzmir’s future: urban (re-)development
KLAUS JURGENS
Armenians and our speaking prime minister
İHSAN YILMAZ
How much do we really know?
MICHAEL KUSER
Social and cultural impacts of globalization
DOĞU ERGİL
Impact of Iraqi elections on Kurdish politics
EMRE USLU

Other Articles of the Columnist

  Lack of grounds for legal action or lack of jurisdiction
  Is it just a language contest?
  May 27 and the Erdelhun syndrome
  Under what circumstances is the chief judge tried?
  Is Eruygur also from the community?
  Cihan’s accredited, nothing else matters!
  As the CHP prepares its new Kurdish initiative...
  Are you all Balbay?
  Is there any resemblance between Silivri and Guantanamo?
  Hitting Baykal via Sevigen
  Even if lobbyists get upset
  Tips to Kiliçdaroğlu for an election defeat
  Where is Feb. 28 in all of this?
  To avoid faring worse while going farther
  Ergenekon’s abuse of Atatürk
  McCain teaches Baykal a lesson on democracy
  Let’s close DTP down!
  A courtesy visit with arrested generals
  Abdüllatif Şener’s hurdle
  Saçan’s contradictions; Oktay’s bombs
Columnists
ABDULHAMİT BİLİCİ
ABDULLAH BOZKURT
ALİ BULAÇ
ALİ H. ASLAN
AMANDA PAUL
ANDREW FINKEL
ASIM ERDİLEK
AYŞE KARABAT
BEJAN MATUR
BERİL DEDEOĞLU
BERK ÇEKTİR
BÜLENT KENEŞ
BÜLENT KORUCU
CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON
DOĞU ERGİL
EKREM DUMANLI
EMRE USLU
ETYEN MAHÇUPYAN
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
FİKRET ERTAN
GÜRKAN ZENGİN
HASAN KANBOLAT
HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE
İBRAHİM KALIN
İBRAHİM ÖZTÜRK
İHSAN DAĞI
İHSAN YILMAZ
KATHY HAMILTON
KERİM BALCI
KLAUS JURGENS
LALE KEMAL
MEHMET KAMIŞ
MICHAEL KUSER
MUHAMMED ÇETİN
MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE
NICOLE POPE
ÖMER TAŞPINAR
ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ
PAT YALE
ŞAHİN ALPAY
SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI
SUAT KINIKLIOĞLU
YAVUZ BAYDAR