Istanbul prosecutors Friday began charging some of the prime minister's closest allies in a huge graft scandal which he has responded to with a spectacular purge of the police.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he was battling "a state within a state" and described the corruption probe, which comes ahead of crucial March polls, as a smear operation.
The crisis erupted Tuesday when police detained the sons of three ministers as part of a sweeping investigation, one of the most brazen challenges to Erdogan's 10-year rule.
A total of 89 people, including several close Erdogan allies were detained in a series of dawn raids, sparking a crisis which rattled the stock market and sent the Turkish lira to an all-time low.
Media reports on Friday said that prosecutors had begun handing out corruption indictments, with the first eight formally arrested and placed in pre-trial detention.
They are suspected of numerous offences including accepting and facilitating bribes for development projects and securing construction permits for protected areas.
The remaining detainees were appearing in court Friday after being interrogated by police, according to local media.
Read more: Scandal-hit Turkey PM presses police purge - International - World - Ahram Online
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he was battling "a state within a state" and described the corruption probe, which comes ahead of crucial March polls, as a smear operation.
The crisis erupted Tuesday when police detained the sons of three ministers as part of a sweeping investigation, one of the most brazen challenges to Erdogan's 10-year rule.
A total of 89 people, including several close Erdogan allies were detained in a series of dawn raids, sparking a crisis which rattled the stock market and sent the Turkish lira to an all-time low.
Media reports on Friday said that prosecutors had begun handing out corruption indictments, with the first eight formally arrested and placed in pre-trial detention.
They are suspected of numerous offences including accepting and facilitating bribes for development projects and securing construction permits for protected areas.
The remaining detainees were appearing in court Friday after being interrogated by police, according to local media.
Read more: Scandal-hit Turkey PM presses police purge - International - World - Ahram Online
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