Newly disclosed handwritten records submitted to Turkey's highest appeals court suggest that high-ranking Justice Ministry officials formulated a strategy to consolidate control over the judiciary well before the 2013 corruption scandals. These fifteen pages, recently released by the news outlet TR724, detail a systematic categorization of 103 Supreme Court of Appeals members into eleven distinct groups. The documents feature various notations and codes, indicating a plan to manage judicial appointments and remove perceived opponents. According to an official cover letter, these materials were part of evidence linked to former Justice Ministry Undersecretary Birol Erdem. This revelation highlights the preparatory steps taken prior to the extensive purges of over 4,000 judges and prosecutors that occurred following the unsuccessful coup attempt in 2016, providing insight into the long-term efforts to reshape the nation's legal institutions.
Source : Turkish Minute
