Turkish Treasury sees large scale reshuffle

The Turkish Treasury under Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan saw a large scale reshuffle on Nov. 4, with around 20 people removed from their posts.

The reshuffle came as the former Treasury Undersecretary İbrahim Çanakçı began his post at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as executive director.

Those removed from their posts include Tahir Canatan, vice general manager in charge of foreign relations, his deputy Levent Eren, and public financing chiefs Fatih Bozkurt and Tolga Yücel. Those removed from their seats will continue serving as treasury inspectors, Reuters quoted anonymous sources as saying.

No official announcement had been made by the Treasury as of Nov. 5.

Beginning on Dec. 23, 2013, the government launched an operation targeting followers of the Gülenist movement, beginning Turkey’s largest scale graft probe. The probe engulfed many prominent state figures, including the sons of four Cabinet ministers. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who also received his share of illegal wiretappings during the probe, claims the movement under the U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen had attempted to topple the government.

The Finance Ministry, Central Bank, Capital Markets Board, banking watchdog, military and police have all been subject to such operations.