Dalan was Ergenekon’s number three, says prosecution

The prosecution claims the new evidence indicates that Dalan, the chairmen of the İstek Foundation, on whose property ammunition was found buried last week during excavations carried out as part of the investigation, was also the architect of the Feb. 28, 1997 unarmed military coup, which overthrew a coalition government led by the now defunct Welfare Party (RP).

The documents, made public by the prosecution earlier this week, include a video recording of a 2004 meeting between Dalan and retired Gen. Levent Ersöz, an Ergenekon suspect and former head of gendarmerie intelligence. Ersöz then gave this tape to Ret. Gen. Şener Eruygur, who was commander of the gendarmerie at the time. In the recording Ersöz tells Dalan: "You are number three. Why don't you go out and talk like you're number one." In a response, Dalan says, "We sent one of ours to the General Staff."

The police seized close to 2,500 tapes containing the voice recordings of conversations between various individuals during a search of Ersöz's home.

The new information, made public when the prosecution handed over new dossiers this Monday, includes attempts by former deputy Emin Şirin, also an Ergenekon suspect, to take over the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) administration. The prosecution argued in the first indictment that retired Gen. Veli Küçük made considerable effort to do the same.

According to the documents, Ergenekon suspects believed that MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli had to be removed and replaced with Ramiz Ongun. They worked in collaboration with Şirin. The group also had plans to start a new nationalist political party to be led by Şirin if the plan to take over the MHP failed. A handwritten letter seized from suspect Atilla Uğur confirms this information.

Prosecutors examining bank accounts

Ergenekon prosecutors have started examining bank accounts belonging to hundreds of individuals and associations. The Capital Markets Board (SPK) will also be auditing these accounts, including those of Ergenekon suspects retired Gen. Hurşit Tolon, Sedat Peker, Ersöz, Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member Mehmet Dadak, Adil Serdar Saçan, Erdal Sarızeybek, Yalçın Küçük, Ümit Özdağ and the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD).

Earlier in the investigation, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) examined the contents of safe deposit boxes at various banks belonging to 143 individuals as part of the investigation.

Ergenekon prosecutors turned to the SPK on April 11, 2009, requesting an inspection of accounts belonging to Ergenekon suspects. The SPK has asked the 109 banks involved for documents acquired while opening the accounts in question, contracts for joint accounts, photocopies of powers of attorney and the list of individuals authorized to conduct transactions using the accounts.