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As the nation observes the first anniversary of a massive corruption investigation that was subsequently dropped by the prosecutors, one of the suspects in the Dec. 17, 2013 operation, former Minister of European Union Affairs Egemen Bağış, marked Dec. 17 as the day the EU decided to start accession negotiations with Turkey.
Writing on his Twitter account, Bağış, who faced serious charges such as receiving $1.5 million from Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab in the corruption investigation of Dec. 17, described the corruption allegations as “lies and slander.”
“Dec. 17 is the glorious anniversary of the start of Turkey's negotiations with the EU after having waited for 45 years. It cannot be manipulated by lies and slander,” said Bağış' tweet, message which received heavy criticism by many in social media for insulting the intelligence of the people. Some Twitter users called Bağış not only corrupt, but also “shameless” for denying corruption charges. Exactly a year since the Dec. 17 incident, no suspect has been held accountable, even though four ministers resigned from the government.
Meanwhile, although Bağış praised Turkey's journey to the EU, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed the union due to its criticism of the detention of journalists in Turkey and said he is not concerned about the EU.
(Cihan/Today's Zaman)
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