Questions linger over science watchdog's 'montage report'

An opposition MP has included in his parliamentary question the claims that the Turkish government "pressured and threatened" Turkey's science watchdog TÜBİTAK for an expert report to conclude that the leaked voice recordings allegedly belonging to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “were montage."

Several phone conversations were posted on YouTube ahead of the March 30 elections amid intense political tension in the wake of the corruption probe late last year. One of them leaked in February and allegedly revealing Erdoğan asking his son Bilal to turn millions of euros in cash stashed at several houses into “zero” sparked a vast political debate.

But Erdoğan rejected the authenticity of the leaks, alleging that the voice recordings were a “montage.” The expert report presented by TÜBÄ°TAK on June 6 confirmed Erdoğan’s claim that the recordings were manipulated. 

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu listed in a written question to Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç at Parliament on June 7 the claims that the government pressured TÜBİTAK for such a report.

"Is it true that TÜBİTAK experts declined to report that the recordings were 'montage' despite Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Işık's pressure and threats? Is it true that they have been removed from their posts? Who did order Turkey's Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) to delete all the recordings from December 17 to December 25 after TÜBİTAK didn't provide the fake report that was demanded?" Tanrıkulu asked.

Tanrıkulu also mentioned the claims that the head of TİB met the high level officials of three...