Retired colonel’s suicide found to be ‘suspicious’

Belgütay Varımlı hit the concrete pavement below and died at the scene. His body was taken to Göztepe Teaching and Research Hospital after police and prosecutors had examined the body.

Before he retired, Varımlı was the head of the Supervisory Board for the Defense Ministry and had testified in the trial of former Naval Forces Commander Adm. İlhami Erdil. He also acknowledged that Alaattin Çakıcı, a mafia leader, had threatened him about auctions relating to land belonging to the army.

An investigation by Varımlı into Erdil on suspicion of his links to a corruption scandal within the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) resulted in Erdil’s status as admiral being reduced to that of private after the trial. After the investigation, Varımlı had said: “The fight against corruption requires courage. I was only backed by [former Chief of General Staff] Gen. Hilmi Özkök. No one else supported my investigation. Even Kıvrıkoğlu [the former chief of general staff between 1998 and 2002] did not stand by me,” Varımlı noted.

Varımlı was detained in December 2008 on charges of threatening to kidnap some businessmen with the aim of obtaining financial gain. Moreover, there have been allegations that when he was detained, he asked Bedrettin Dalan to help him transfer his money in European banks to Turkey. Dalan is a suspect in the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine organization whose goal is to overthrow the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government through provocative action. Military judge Lt. Col. Tanju Ünal, who presided over the trial in which the illegal purchases made by İlhami Erdil and his wife, Füsun Erdil, along with members of the purchasing commission working under Erdil’s control were investigated, also committed suicide in his office in İzmir’s İnciraltı district in June.