Fugitive Gen. Bakıcı Testifies, Arrest Warrant Is Revoked

Mustafa Bakıcı, a retired major general who had been on the run for five years after an İstanbul court issued an arrest warrant for him in August 2011 as part of a probe into the establishment of several websites that allegedly ran propaganda campaigns against civilian groups on behalf of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), testified in the İstanbul 6th High Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Bakıcı provided testimony for two hours after his identity was confirmed by the court. Denying the accusations in the indictment, Bakıcı claimed that he knew the case was a set-up from the beginning and that was why he did not surrender. He added that he had never gone abroad during that period, but had remained in Turkey. He further asked for the court to acquit him of all charges, claiming that he did not commit any of the crimes in the indictment.

Mahir Işıkay, Bakıcı's lawyer, then requested that the court revoke Bakıcı's arrest warrant. After a short recess, the court granted the request, given that he had provided his testimony, but imposed a travel ban.

In addition to Bakıcı, there are four other suspects in the case who also fled, including former İstanbul Mayor Bedrettin Dalan, former Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy Turan Çömez, Emrah Gönenci and Saipir Deblevidze. An arrest warrant was also issued for Dalan as a suspect in a separate matter of the Ergenekon case, but on Feb. 18, 2015 his arrest warrant was revoked and he returned to Turkey on March 10, 2015.

Dalan did not appear in court on Wednesday, and his lawyers provided a medical report indicating that Dalan was suffering from health problems and was therefore unable to attend. The court then postponed the case until the three suspects who are still at large are apprehended.

According to the indictment, Bakıcı is charged with attempting to destroy the government of the Republic of Turkey and prevent it from performing its duties by using force and violence. If convicted, he faces aggravated life imprisonment, or in other words, 30 years' imprisonment before the chance of parole. Bakıcı is also facing a potential prison term of 15 to 22-and-a-half years on charges of being the leader of a terrorist organization.

The case is linked to the Ergenekon investigation that began in July 2007 when a stash of weapons and ammunition was found in a house in the Ümraniye district of İstanbul. The police investigation resulted in the discovery of a shadowy gang with links to state agencies and possibly the military that allegedly sought to create chaos in the country in order to lay the basis for a coup.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)