Ağar On Trial For Susurluk Conspiracy After 12 Years

Former head of the police department Mehmet Ağar’s trial for its involvement in Susurluk conspiracy will start at Ankara’s 3^rd High Criminal Court tomorrow (November 11).

Ağar had lost his immunity from prosecution when not elected to the Parliament at the July 22 elections in 2007.

Accusations

Ağar wil be accused of the following in this case:

- To form an armed organization to commit crime

- Not to reveal the whereabouts of Abdullah Çatlı who was wanted for the Bahçelievler massacre, even though he had knowledge of it. Çatlı was killed in the car accident at the town of Susurluk that eventually led to the uncovering of the Susurluk conspiracy.

- For gross misconduct by providing Abdullah Çatlı and Yaşar Öz with permits to carry arms and high level special (green) passports. 

The report of the Parliamentary commission

The parliamentary report about Ağar reaches the following conclusions:

- The passport and guns that were found on the person of Çatlı at the Susurluk accident were given to him by Mehmet Ağar and the acting president of the Special Action Office İbrahim Şahin.

- Three police officers who were suspects in the murder of Ömer Lütfü Topal, that is, Ayhan Çarkın, Ercan Ersoy and Oğuz Yorulmaz, were brought from Istanbul to Ankara and released by the order of Ağar after a superficial inspections.

Lawyers want to join the case

A group of lawyers who are members of the Istanbul branch of the Contemporary Jurists Association (ÇHD) are planning to join the trial in which Mehmet Ağar will be prosecuted on the accusing side. They are asking the rest of the lawyers to be part of their campaign.

The lawyers set up an internet site titled “Punish Ağar” (www.agarhesapver.org) for this campaign and started organizing their demand to join the trial at this site.

Ağar was the Erzurum Governor in 1992 and had become the Chief of Police in July 1993. He was elected to the Parliament as a True Path Party deputy in 1995. He was the Minister of Justice in 1996 between March and July and the Minister of Interior in 1996 between July and November. (TK/TB)