Two journalists were detained on Nov 3 as prosecutors in İstanbul have launched an investigation into media reports that alleged the prosecutor of the high-profile “Newborn Gang” case was replaced.
The reports had claimed Prosecutor Yavuz Engin who led the inquiry into a criminal network exploiting newborns with health issues, was forced off the case.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç denied the reports on Nov 1, calling them “false and misleading.”
Since the offense in question falls within the jurisdiction of heavy penal courts, the proceedings prepared in the investigation conducted by the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office were forwarded to the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, he explained. A public lawsuit was filed against the suspects at the Bakırköy Heavy Penal Court, he added.
Prosecutor Engin continues his duty at the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the minister further noted.
The journalists who made the reports about his removal from the case are facing charges of “deliberately spreading misleading information, slandering judicial officials, and insulting government institutions,” according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
In connection with the reports, journalists Dinçer Gökçe, managing editor of HalkTV.com.tr, and Nilay Can, managing editor of Gazete Pencere, were detained, alongside other news editors who shared similar stories. After spending a night in detention, Gökçe and Can were brought to court and later released under judicial control early today.
Lawyer placed under house arrest
Meanwhile, attorney İrem Çiçek, who has actively followed the “Newborn Gang” case and publicly criticized the detentions on social media, was also detained. Çiçek expressed frustration on the platform X (formerly Twitter), writing, “There is no crime here, yet I was taken into custody instead of being called to testify.”
Following her court appearance, she was placed under house arrest. “The punishment for my volunteer work on the Newborn Gang case has been house arrest under Article 217a of the Turkish Penal Code,” she wrote in another post.
The ‘Newborn Gang’
The “Newborn Gang” is alleged to be a criminal network in the healthcare sector, exploiting infants with health complications for financial gain. A year-and-a-half investigation by the İstanbul Provincial Health Directorate revealed that the gang included doctors and emergency call center personnel who directed vulnerable newborns to specific private hospitals, reportedly leading to the deaths of at least 12 infants, according to an indictment filed on Oct 16.
Private hospitals connected to the group allegedly overcharged the Turkish Social Security Institution (SGK) and families for unneeded treatments. SGK has since launched its own investigation, involving six inspectors, and has revoked the licenses of nine İstanbul hospitals implicated in the scheme.
The indictment charged 47 suspects. Public outrage over the case heightened when a video surfaced showing a man threatening Prosecutor Engin in his office, warning of harm to his family if he continued the investigation.
Investigation exposes health sector financial crime scheme responsible for at least 12 infant deaths
(VK)
