ANKARA - The Turkish parliament approved Tuesday the resignation of a deputy of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), who faces charges of corruption, thereby removing his parliamentary immunity from prosecution.
The resignation of Cemal Kaya was approved in a vote by a show of hands.
Kaya announced his decision to step down last week after an Ankara prosecutor issued an indictment accusing him, along with 17 other defendants, of corruption in energy tenders.
Turkish deputies have parliamentary immunity from prosecution and cannot stand trial unless parliament removes their immunity or approves their resignations.
Kaya is accused of trying to arrange for a number of state tenders to be awarded to a company registered under his wife's name.
The affair has prompted critics to question the government's pledges to stamp out widespread corruption and nepotism plaguing Turkey's political establishment.
Kaya's departure leaves the AKP with 356 seats in the 550-member parliament, still a comfortable majority.
Some 13 deputies have resigned in recent months from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, accusing the AKP leadership of nepotism, corruption and lack of respect for dissenting views in its ranks.
04/26/2005 15:57 GMT