GIRESUN
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday defined the campaign against his goverment a "dirty and dark plot" aiming to foil the stability and peace in Turkey.
During his address at an opening ceremony in Turkey's northern province of Giresun, Erdogan remarked on the ongoing Istanbul-based anti-graft operation.
"A quite lawless, dirty and dark plot is being laid in guise of corruption. Corruption is only the cover. Our sensitivity regarding corruption is already apparent," he said.
Turkish Premier asserted that the main target of those blaming his government for corruption was to "harm the peace in Turkey, bring back terror into the country."
Suggesting that there are certain people disturbed by the peace process that put an end to news of martyrs in southeastern Turkey, PM Erdogan said those people "wanted more people to die from terror as they feed on it."
"There are people seeking to suck the blood of the Turkish nation as in the past by foiling its future and increasing the interest rates. That was the plot laid last week. Unfortunately, certain groups in Turkey paved the way for this dirty plot," he noted.
Erdogan also gave his word that his goverment would bring to account everyone who stole public property even if that person is his own relative, adding that "We will not let anyone to disturb the atmosphere of stability and trust."
The Istanbul-based operation that was launched on Tuesday on corruption, bribery and money laundering has led to the arrest of two dozens of high-profile bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen, including the sons of two key cabinet ministers and the head of state-owned lender Halkbank.
Fourteen people were arrested Saturday night as part of the anti-graft operation.
The latest wave of incarcerations, including of head of the state-owned lender Halkbank Suleyman Aslan and the sons of internal affairs and economy ministers, Baris Guler and Salih Kaan Caglayan, putting the total number of arrests up to 24.
Mustafa Demir, mayor of Istanbul's Fatih district, and Abdullah Oguz Bayraktar, son of Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, have been released under judicial supervision, but barred from going abroad as obliged to show up at a police station once a week.
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