Turkish MPs will not be able to examine corruption charges against four former ministers in parliament unless a commission of inquiry is established, said the country’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag on Monday.
The statement comes after Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called for an emergency parliamentary meeting to be held on Tuesday.
The CHP has gathered enough signatures to debate the corruption allegations against the four men, who were allegedly linked to a major anti-graft operation launched in December 2013.
The anti-graft operation was launched on December 17, which resulted in the detentions and arrests of high-profile bureaucrats, including the sons of three former cabinet ministers and businessmen.
Minister Bozdag said on Monday: "Unless a commission of inquiry is established for a probe, which is a judicial process, the deputies at the parliament cannot examine the summaries of charges against the four ministers as it would be a violation of the probe's confidentiality."
Bozdag said that if the parliament forms a commission of inquiry about a minister, members of that commission can research all documentation, provided that they abide by the confidentiality of the probe.
"The parliament does not allow anyone, even me, to examine with impunity any deputy’s documents," added the minister, stressing that examining documents which are under parliamentary privilege is not possible.
Chairman of CHP's parliamentary group, Akif Hamzacebi, said at a press conference last Thursday that his party was waiting for summaries of the charges against the four former ministers to be read out in parliament.
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