ANKARA
Two Turkish police officers have been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for illegally bugging the office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan back in 2014 when he was prime minister.
However, the former head of Turkey's scientific research body was acquitted in the same case.
In February, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that two members of the Turkish police force had been detained in Romania on suspicion of being involved in the bugging of Erdogan’s office during his tenure as prime minister before August 2014.
Ankara 7th High Penal Court sentenced Sedat Zavar, a Turkish police chief, and officer Ilker Usta to imprisonment for six years for "obtaining information about security of the state" and for one year and six months for "violation of confidentiality of communication" on Friday.
Meanwhile, other defendants in the same case – including the former chair of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Hasan Palaz, were acquitted.
Police officers Mehmet Yuksel, Zeki Bulut, Hursit Golbasi, Ahmet Turer, Harun Yavuz, Seyit Saydam and Ibrahim Sari were acquitted.
