Gülen’s lawyer denies claims of AK Party official, PKK commander

The lawyer of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has strongly denied claims made by a senior government official who said on Monday that a Supreme Court of Appeals judge had asked Gülen's opinion about a suspect whose case the court was hearing before delivering the final verdict.

Nurullah Albayrak, Gülen’s attorney, said in a written statement that no conversation has taken place between his client and the judge, and rejected the allegations that the judge had sought the scholar's opinion before delivering the final verdict concerning a businessman, who was convicted in the case.

Former Justice Minister and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin claimed that a high-level judge at the Supreme Court of Appeals had acted contrary to legal procedure and contacted Gülen before issuing his final verdict in the case against the businessman several years ago.

"What should I do in this case?" asked the judge, according to the claims of the former justice minister. He went on to say that Gülen had allegedly told the judge to do what justice requires.

Şahin's claim came at a time when the AK Party government has accused prosecutors, who have launched a far-reaching investigation into corruption and alleged bribery, fraud and tender rigging that involves high-level officials and ministers, of acting according to the group interests of "an illegal structure and a gang within the state."

Albayrak rejected the allegations and denied any contact between Gülen and the judge.

Gülen's lawyer also rejected the claims of a senior terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) commander who had said the Gülen movement might be behind last year’s assassination of three female PKK militants in Paris.

The bodies of three Kurdish women, including that of a co-founder of the terrorist PKK, were found in early January at the Information Center of Kurdistan in Paris. All three had been shot.

The killings took place at a time when Turkey was having talks with the terrorist PKK to resolve the country's long-standing Kurdish problem.

Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Söylemez were discovered dead in the building in Paris.

Published on Today's Zaman, 31 December 2013, Tuesday