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I'm kicking myself for not tweeting about journalist @timursoykan's thread about the murder of İlhan Ünğan in broad daylight in Istanbul in April 2019 earlier. But here we go because Habertürk dropped a bit of a bombshell this morning.
Ünğan was wanted in relation to the court case of pertaining to the murder of Iranian drug baron Naji Sharifi Zindashi's daughter. Find full thread and short summary here: https://medyascope.tv/2019/04/08/bagdat-caddesi-cinayeti-devlet-mafya-ve-siyaset-ucgeninde-turkiye-icin-yeni-bir-susurluktur/
Soykan explains the complex past of the drug mafias freud dating back to 2014 & describes it as a "new Susurluk" due to relations between mafias, state & politicians.
Then today Habertürk's @msekeroglu1 reports that following acquittal of Zindashi (who was facing multiple charges) Judges & Prosecutors Board assigned inspectors. Judge that ruled for acquittal testified that he was pressured by former AKP MP Burhan Kuzu.
Kuzu was appointed as a Presidential Chief Adviser in July 2015 and I think still is. @msekeroglu1 was given access to the investigation files where judges state they were repeated called from the presidency. https://www.haberturk.com/son-dakika-haberler-zindasti-nasil-tahliye-oldu-burhan-kuzu-tanik-ifadelerinde-2578551
Kuzu has previously denied being acquainted with Zindashi but Cumhuriyet's @zehra_ozdilek in March 2019 uncovered a photo of Kuzu seated at a table with Zindashi, & reported on Zindashi's plea bargain with infamous Gülenist prosecutor Zekeriya Öz from 2007 http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/siyaset/1277780/zindasti-bombasi-burhan-kuzu-tanimam-dedigi-uyusturucu-baronuyla-yemekte.html
So in short, a presidential chief adviser interfered with the judicial process, pressuring judges and prosecutors in order to secure the acquittal of a known drugs baron from charges of murder, organised crime, drug trafficking, etc.
And my own two kuruş: I cannot envisage how the Judges & Prosecutors Board inspectors report would be made accessible to a journalist without the explicit approval of the Justice Minister himself. Gül has been on the warpath before.
And boom! Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office Department of Special Investigations has launched an investigation into former AKP MP (and still current Presidential Adviser, right?) Burhan Kuzu over the Zindashi judicial-meddling scandal. https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/eski-ak-parti-milletvekili-burhan-kuzu-hakkinda-zindasti-incelemesi,3rmy4_wYiUiUypEMP5VAlw
Burhan Kuzu has maintained that he never met or spoke with Iranian drug baron Zindashi, however phone taps reveal Kuzu spoke to Zindashi and his associates several times after 2015. http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/hts-kayitlari-da-kuzuyu-yalanladi-1726136
Although the Investigation into Kuzu's links with Zindashi was launched weeks ago yet he's not be summoned to provide an official statement.
Presidential adviser & former AKP MP Burhan Kuzu is astonished anyone would think he was meddling with the judicial process, he only called up the judge to provide his legal opinion as requested by Zindashi's lawyer who happens to be Kuzu's former student. https://twitter.com/zehra_ozdilek/status/1240161394491895808
In the investigation into the judge that released Iranian mafia boss Zindashi has revealed that the judge received substantial payments (over 900,000 TL) presumably in exchange for ruling the release. https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/bilirkisi-zindastiyi-tahliye-eden-cevdet-ozcanin-hesap-hareketlerini-inceledi-1742472
Remember the Burhan-Kuzu/ judicial-meddling/ release-of-an-Iranian-mafia-boss-who-went-on-to-order-a-hit saga? Well, Kuzu submitted a doctors report for flu & thus was excused from the trial today where he was expected to present his defence testimony. https://twitter.com/zehra_ozdilek/status/1303293473542545409
And yes, I have just realised I have been misspelling Zindashti as Zindashi this entire time. Totally temsili me right now:
He was also instrumental in the designing of the current presidential system we have. https://twitter.com/Istanbultelaviv/status/1322903553200062464?s=20
