Muammer

Former Interior Minister Muammer Güler has admitted that he gave a reference about Iranian origin businessman Reza Zarrab, the key suspect of the December 2013 corruption probe, but has denied allegations that he accepted bribes from him.

The suspects in Turkey’s recently dropped corruption probe, including the son of a former minister and Iranian-Azeri businessman, have been summoned to testify as witnesses by the parliamentary commission tasked with investigating the graft claims against four former Cabinet members.

Muammer Taşdelen, a relative of three of the Turkish hostages kept in Mosul by jihadist militants nearly two months ago, and CHP deputy Umut Oran have filed a criminal complaint on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and bureaucrat Ömer Onhan.

The complaint includes malpractice and neglect.

Turkey’s high-level graft probe suspect Reza Zarrab, who was charged with forming a ring that bribed officials to help disguise illegal gold sales to Iran via Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank, was seen entering the bank’s headquarters on June 16, where he stayed for one-and-a-half hours.