Turkish govt seeks tighter grip on judiciary amid scandal

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By Gulsen Solaker ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party sent plans to parliament late on Tuesday which would give the government more say over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, the latest salvo in its battle against a damaging corruption inquiry. Erdogan has cast the graft investigation, which poses arguably the biggest challenge of his 11-year rule, as an attempted "judicial coup" contrived by an Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who exercises broad, if covert, influence in the judiciary and police. The ruling party bill, published on parliament's official website, proposes changes to the structure of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), the body responsible for appointments in the judiciary, which Erdogan has criticized since the corruption scandal erupted last month. It allows the undersecretary of the justice minister to be elected as chairman of the HSYK board, a move which would give the government a tighter grip over the choice of judges.




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