Mediaboss Marketing

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference to present the outcome of the G-20 summit, Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017.(photo byREUTERS/Axel Schmidt)

Author:Barin Kayaoglu Posted August 10, 2017

Turkey may have a new intelligence service. If so, it is probably illegal.

The daily newspaper Sozcu reported Aug. 9 that a new intelligence service has come into existence under PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan. Sozcu's Aug. 10 issue was dominated by the story, aptly headlined Shocking, Documented Allegation.

According to Sozcu, Bulent Tezcan, the vice chairman and speaker of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, presented evidence at a press conference that a Presidential National Security Unit has begun operations under the presidency. Tezcan pointed out that under Turkish law, only the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the national police force and the gendarmerie can collect intelligence, leavingthe new intelligence unit under Erdogan with nolegal standing.

Tezcan went further in his allegations and drew a chilling comparison. He argued that as Turkey transitions from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency in which the Prime Ministry will be abolished and the president will assume all executive power in 2019 it is following in the footsteps of Hitler, Mussolini, Salazar, Pinochet, Saddam and[Gadhafi], who had their own private intelligence organizations. Tezcan added, Other similar organizations are also being formedunder the dictator. It is of utmost importance to the rule of law and national security in Turkey that this matter be clarified.

Some may question the veracity of the story. After all, no bill came to the Turkish parliament to establish a new intelligence service or allocate a budget to it or place the MIT chief under the president (MIT directly reports to the prime minister). At any rate, Sozcu is known for usingcolorful and even offensive language against Erdogan and his party.

But even in Turkey'soppressive media environment, many news organizations reported on the new intelligence outfit. The TV stations CNN Turk and NTV gave extensive coverage to Tezcans allegations. Other respectable opposition websites also ran the story.

Former MIT employees are not dismissing it, either. One retired MIT analysttold Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, For the first time in Turkeys history, the presidency has access to the secret appropriations fund previously used by the Prime Ministry. The military, MITand police have often used these funds with the prime ministers approval and without any parliamentary oversight. As such, headded, Through 2019," when the Prime Ministry will be abolished and the executive presidency will come into full force, "such legal cover will be provided to actual practices.

A retired high-ranking MIT official who served several tours as station chief for the intelligence agencytold Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that there was a similar Ciller special group during the tenure of Prime Minister Tansu Ciller (1993-96). That group, he added, was used for political murder and special gains. The former official added, As the name of the new Presidential National Security Unit shows, unlike MIT, it is not national and is meant to serve the interests of one person.

So far, Erdogan has remained silent on the matter and the Turkish government has downplayed the claims. The Directorate-General for Public Security (the national police force) released a written statement Aug. 9 explainingthat a new unit did exist, but the name was just ashortened one fortheSection to Combat Crimes Against National Security operating under the Smuggling and Organized Crime Departmentof the Turkish police department.

Still, given the explosive nature of the story, the allegations regarding Erdogan running his own private intelligence outfit from his palace will continue to receive coverage. After all, the Turkish president has already been accused of creating his own private army.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/08/erdogan-private-intelligence-service.html

Follow this link:
Turkish opposition claims Erdogan building private intelligence service - Al-Monitor