TURKISH MILITARY COURT CONVICTS RETIRED FOUR-STAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000552

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2021
TAGS: PGOV MARR TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH MILITARY COURT CONVICTS RETIRED FOUR-STAR

REF: A. 05 ANKARA 2303


B. ANKARA 407

Classified By: Political Military Counselor Timothy A. Betts, reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) On February 6 a military court found former Turkish
Navy Commander ADM (ret.) Ilhami Erdil guilty of corruption
in the award of contracts to a company where his daughter was
employed. His wife was acquitted of any wrongdoing, but his
daughter was sentenced to six months in jail. The court
sentenced Erdil to 2.5 years in jail (the minimum possible),
stripped him of his rank, fined him 50 lira (less than $40)
and confiscated two apartments in Istanbul. Erdil failed to
show how he legally acquired the funds to purchase the
apartments. The loss of rank means Erdil will lose his
pension, his access to military facilities (including medical
facilities),his government housing (accorded all retired
four-star officers) and his permit to carry a gun. The
Turkish press speculates that Erdil will actually serve a
year of his sentence, but papers across the political
spectrum welcomed the court's decision as exemplary in the
fight against corruption. A broad range of human rights
contacts and attorneys with whom we spoke at a February 7
function echoed that sentiment.


2. (C) Despite the minimum sentence, the conviction of a
four-star officer for any offense is rare in Turkey. The
personal approval of the chief of the Turkish General Staff
(TGS) is required for the military prosecutor to even open a
case. As we reported earlier (ref a),TGS Chief GEN Ozkok is
generally credited with the current activism by military
prosecutors against corruption within the military.


3. (C) Comment: This high-profile conviction sends multiple
messages. Rumors abound about irregularities in contracting
and procurement by both civilian and military officials.
This case is a clear warning to active duty military
personnel that corruption carries a high risk. The case also
serves as a call on the government to clean up its own house.
Although the timing was probably coincidental, the public
will note a contrast between a military actively policing
itself and a government in which the Prime Minister long
resisted declaring his assets and the Finance Minister
continues to be hounded by allegations of corruption.
Several contacts believe part of Ozkok's motivation is to
weed out opponents within the military. Erdil was an ally of
Ozkok's predecessor, GEN Huseyin Kivrikoglu, who tried
unsuccessfully to block Ozkok's accession to TGS chief.


4. (C) Comment (cont.): Several other senior (although not
four-star) officers are under investigation currently, but
how much further Ozkok's anti-corruption campaign will go is
not clear. With only six months remaining in his tenure, he
will not have many opportunities to approve new
investigations. His heir apparent, Land Forces Commander GEN
Ilker Buyukanit, is rumored to have received lavish gifts and
may have a less-activist attitude on this issue. End Comment.
WILSON