President Abdullah Gül has intervened into recent discussions in judiciary to form a constructive perspective on the reform process amid controversial statements and decisions from judicial organs.
Accordingly, the President received Head of the Constitutional Court Ha_im Kylyç this morning to exchange views on the reforms, following his meetings with Head of Appeals Court Hasan Gerçeker and Head of State Council Mustafa Birden on Tuesday.
In the wake of the meeting with President Gül, Constitutional Court Chairman Ha_im Kylyç said in a separate meeting in Ankara that "the fate of a constitutional state depends on an independent and neutral judiciary." It is unacceptable for the judiciary to become a party to the cases or illustrate the image of being a side of them, he added.
Later on Wednesday, President Gül received Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin.
The meetings took place after a recent controversial decision of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) which has sparked wide-scale discussions in Turkey regarding judicial independence and judicial authority.
Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor Ylhan Cihaner was arrested early on February 17 on charges of membership in a terrorist organization and falsification of documents. The prosecutor was taken into custody after a thorough search at his office and house as part of the ongoing probe into "Ergenekon", a clandestine group nested within the state and the military, which is allegedly working to overthrow the democratically elected government.
At an extraordinary meeting, the HSYK board stripped Erzurum Prosecutor _anal with another specially authorized prosecutor in Erzurum, Taryk Gür, and public prosecutors Rasim Karakullukçu and Mehmet Yazycy of their authorities, claiming that filing a suit against the Chief Prosecutor is contrary to independence of the judiciary. The board also decided to file criminal complaints against Gür, Karakullukçu, Yazycy, _anal and Sinan Ku_, the chief prosecutor in Erzurum.
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said on February 18 that the HSYK decision was a blow to the independence of judiciary, adding that "the decision constitutes a clear extortion of authority and is contrary to the Constitution". Minister Ergin mentioned that the decision has been an intervention into an ongoing probe, intimidating all members of the judiciary. He said that judicial reform is required to be undertaken immediately.