Romania arrests Israeli firm workers for spying on top prosecutor

April 6, 2016 By administrator

Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor ©AP

Romania has arrested two employees of an Israeli intelligence company on charges of spying on and trying to intimidate the country’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor, officials say.

“An investigation has been launched and two people have been arrested,” Mihaela Porime, a spokeswoman for the anti-crime and terrorist prosecutors’ office, said on Wednesday, adding that the suspects work for the Israeli private intelligence agency, Black Cube.

The firm reportedly has several former operatives of Israel’s Mossad spy agency on its payroll.

The pair were identified as Belgian David Geclowitz and Israeli-born Ron Weiner, who holds a French passport.

They are suspected of hacking the emails of people close to Laura Codruta Kovesi, the chief prosecutor of Romania’s National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), and of threatening and harassing her family members.

The arrest warrant said the two had in March set up a “criminal group … aimed at sullying Kovesi’s image.”

According to Romanian judicial sources, the two are believed to have been employed by a client being investigated by the DNA.

Meanwhile, Kovesi confirmed that the detentions were “linked to a failed intimidation bid.”

Kovesi, who was appointed last month for a second term as Romania’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor, is known for her tough approach to high-level graft.

Her agency prosecuted some 1,250 cases only in 2015, with targets including a former premier and five ex-ministers.

Numerous arrests after a protest in Yerevan

March 25, 2016 By administrator

The Armenian police have arrêté14 opposition activists after a demonstration in Yerevan Thursday, March 24 which degenerated into clashes with anti-émeutes.Les protesters forces had mobilized to demand the release of a member of a formation of the opposition who had been arrested in January and detained since. New Armenian public salvation Front has organized several rallies in the days leading up to protest against the continued detention of Gevorg Safaryan, whose arrest was denounced as politically motivated by the associations defending human rights .

More than a dozen women claiming that the radical opposition movement had gathered yesterday outside the headquarters of the Armenian police. G.Safarian is accused of attacking a police officer in the night of Saint Sylsvestre. The police resorted to use of force against Armenia of new militants Thursday, March 24, while they were chained to the floor of the Mashtots Avenue, one of the major roads in the center of the capital city. Ruzanna Yegnukian, who was among the protesters, was wounded in the head and was hospitalized.

Her husband, who is also a great figure of the new movement Armenia, Garo Yegnukian figure meanwhile the number of protesters arrested by police. However, it was released quickly enough in order to visit his wife in hospital Surp Grigor Lusavorich of Yerevan. G. Yegnukian said the head injuries his wife are due to a blow by a police officer. But Valeri Osipian, a deputy police chief of Yerevan, brought his denial. He claimed that the chained protesters were injured themselves while they struggled resisting police who were trying to make them leave.

The same day the Armenian government rejected a predictable opposition motion calling for officially commemorate the anniversary of the post-election violence of 2008, which had resulted in the death of 10 demonstrators in Yerevan. The Armenian National Congress (HAK) Levon Ter-Petrosian, who was leading the protest campaign to denounce in the street the results of Sarkisian’s election to the presidency in February 2008, wanted to be March 1 declared a day of remembrance of the victims and the “national uprising against state terror and repression.”

The violence and the many arrests that followed, had tarnished the inauguration Sarkisian for his first presidential term, even if the responsibility incumbent rather by his predecessor and mentor, Robert Kocharian, with which it is cold to Moreover since. But President Sargsyan, received half of his second term, has not seen fit to make a symbolic break with the tragic events that marked his rise to power and Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan addressed a plea of receive at the request of the opposition party.

Friday, March 25, 2016,
Gari © armenews.com

Turkish Gold Trader’s Arrest in Miami Could Put Erdogan Under Spotlight

March 24, 2016 By administrator

Reza Zarrab is surrounded by journalists at a police station in Istanbul in December 2013, in an inquiry that led to the resignation of three cabinet ministers. (Source: Getty Images)

LONDON(The Independent) — A Turkish gold trader at the center of a corruption scandal that engulfed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been arrested in Miami and charged with laundering millions of dollars.

Riza Zarrab, also known by the name Riza Sarraf, was accused in 2013 of bribing senior ministers from Turkey’s ruling party with cash and lavish gifts as part of a scheme to bypass US sanctions on Iran.

On Saturday, the 33-year-old was arrested while on holiday in Florida with his wife and daughter. The arrest was made public late on Monday night when US prosecutors unsealed an indictment that charged him with fraud, money-laundering and sanctions-busting.

The arrest threatens to reopen a case that reached right into Erdogan’s inner circle and to tarnish the party that he founded. It will also deepen existing tensions between Turkey and the United States. The US attorney in charge of prosecuting the case, Preet Bharara, became an overnight sensation after tweeting that Zarrab would “soon face American justice in a Manhattan courtroom.”

Bharara was bombarded with messages of support from Turkey, where opponents of the government have increasingly turned to social media in the face of a crackdown on critical news outlets. Zarrab, an Iranian-born Turkish citizen, was detained and charged in Istanbul in 2013 in a huge corruption case that posed the biggest challenge to Erdogan, the man who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade as Prime Minister and then as President.

The allegations centered on a claim that Zarrab was using a loophole in US sanctions on Iran to buy oil and gas in exchange for gold. The businessman, who owns a private jet and is married to a Turkish pop star, was accused of bribing senior ministers in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in order to facilitate the transfers.

The gifts were said to include a $37,000 piano, a $350,000 watch and millions of dollars in cash. Zarrab was allegedly able to call in favours from ministers that ranged from the release of an impounded plane to a request for a police escort to help him escape Istanbul’s notorious traffic jams.

The allegations exploded into the public domain in December 2013 with a string of high-profile arrests. Three cabinet ministers resigned after their sons were implicated. Erdogan decried the investigation as an attempt to overthrow his government by supporters of his ally-turned-enemy, Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. He ordered a huge purge of police, prosecutors and judges. All charges against Zarrab and those linked to the government were dropped. Erdogan later described the businessman as a “philanthropist” whose work had “contributed to the country.”

Lawyers for Zarrab said that the US investigation had “absolutely no link” with the 2013 scandal. Zarrab has not yet entered a plea. His lawyer told the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet that the latest accusations against him “can all be explained.” He is next due in court at the start of April.

The indictment accuses Zarrab of using a global web of firms to hide the fact he was conducting transitions for or on behalf of Iranian entities.

Bharara has earned a name for himself as someone willing to tackle the big beasts of Wall Street, as well as corrupt politicians. The backlash against him began within hours of the announcement of Zarrab’s arrest. The pro-government newspaper Sabah used Twitter to share a doctored photograph that supposedly showed him collecting an award from a charity linked to Gulen, the President’s arch-foe.

Ryan Gingeras, an academic who has written a book on organized crime in Turkey, said that American prosecutors “undoubtedly” understood the political stakes. “The indictment alone will raise tensions between Ankara and Washington,” he said.

Nigel Kushner, an expert on Iranian sanctions at the firm W Legal, expected US authorities to seek to prosecute the widest possible network of offenders. “In these types of situations, one or two whistleblowers will likely play ball in order to obtain reduced sentences or fines,” he said. “This will give the US authorities the evidence to help pursue others. The US will want to send a powerful message. This will likely not be limited in scope.”

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), predicted that “all the dirty laundry will come out”. He said: “Many people won’t sleep a wink tonight.”

Turkey Arrests Generals & Colonel for Stopping Syria-Bound Trucks ‘Filled With Arms to ISIS’

November 29, 2015 By administrator

Two Turkish generals and a colonel were detained on Saturday for intercepting Syria-bound trucks that belonged to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the newspaper Today’s Zaman reported.

In January 2014, Ankara Gendarmerie Major-General Ibrahim Aydin, former Adana Gendarmerie Brigadier-General Hamza Celepoglu and former Gendarmerie Criminal Laboratory Head Colonel Burhanettin Cihangiroglu stopped Syrian-bound trucks in southern Turkey after they received information from an anonymous source that the trucks were illegally carrying weapons to militants in Syria.

When the information about the trucks became public, MIT officials and high-ranking Turkish politicians, including President Recep Teyyip Erdogan, who was Prime Minister back then, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, then the country’s foreign minister, were furious that the gendarmes stopped the trucks and said the Syria-bound trucks were carrying “humanitarian aid” to Turkmen living just south of Turkey, the newspaper said.

“Yes, I’m saying this without any hesitation. That aid was going to the Turkmens. There will be a war next door and we will watch our Turkmen, Arab and Turkish brothers being massacred,” Davutoglu said, as cited by Today’s Zaman.

However, members of opposition parties and some Turkish media said the trucks were indeed transporting weapons to Islamic extremists in Syria.

The gendarmes involved in the interception confirmed that the Syria-bound trucks weren’t going to an area where the Turkmen lived, but to an area populated by radical groups, the Turkish newspaper said.

When an investigation into the MIT case was launched, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) called the probe as “treason and espionage” on the part of prosecutors.

New Twist in the Story

New developments on the issue took place recently. Last Tuesday, Erdogan answered claims previously made by critics, who said the trucks were filled with weapons, by sarcastically asking them: “What if the MIT trucks were filled with weapons?”

Then on Saturday, contrary to his earlier claims that the MIT trucks were carrying humanitarian aid to Turkmen, Erdogan said the trucks were actually heading on their way to help the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

“They [the gendarmes who revealed the transfer] also exposed those going to the FSA in that way,” Erdogan said on Saturday while addressing his supporters in Balikesir, as cited by Today’s Zaman.

Well, that’s getting pretty confusing — were the trucks delivering “humanitarian aid” to the Turkmen or the FSA then? Just make up your mind, Mr. Erdogan. Where the trucks were heading and what were they carrying after all?

Meanwhile, some very high-ranking Turkish officials, including then-president Abdullah Gul, revealed that the Syria-bound trucks were a “state-secret,” leading to more speculations that the trucks were indeed filled with weapons.

The recent developments are taking place in the wake of a major government crackdown on two Turkish journalists of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dunbar and Erdem Gul, who we arrested for covering a story and releasing pictures, claiming that Turkish trucks provided weapons to Syrian opposition rebels.

The reason why the Turkish government arrested the journalists is because Erdogan and his ruling party don’t want reporters to write about certain things, such as the government’s support of Syrian rebels, corruption and other important things that people should actually know about, human rights activist Arzu Geybulla said.

Following the arrest of the journalists, who covered Erdogan’s “tender” topic, it looks like the Turkish President is trying to eliminate everyone who’s willing to speak up or reveal the fact that the Turkish government was helping out Islamic extremists in Syria.

All of this comes amid the political scandal involving the downing of the Russian Su-24 by a Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet on Tuesday.

After the incident Russia said Turkey was one of the countries which cover the actions of Islamic terrorists in Syria.

Turkey: Istanbul court orders arrest of US-based preacher Gulen

November 9, 2015 By administrator

The court has also ordered the arrest of former police officer Uslu in connection with an on going ‘parallel state’ probe

ISTANBUL

A court in Istanbul ordered the arrests in absentia of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen and ex-police officer Emre Uslu in connection with a “parallel state” probe.

Gulen, who is self-exiled in the U.S, has been accused of leading a “terrorist organization” and plotting to overthrow the elected Turkish government.

The network led by Gulen is accused of wiretapping senior Turkish government figures, including the prime minister, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief, Cabinet ministers as well as journalists through serving state officials.

The Istanbul court decided that the first trial of the case would be held early February next year and also issued red notices for both suspects.

The indictment against Gulen and Uslu is 10,529-pages long. A total of 55 out of 122 suspects in the probe have been arrested.

This is not the first time that a Turkish court has issued arrest warrants for Gulen and Uslu.

On Oct. 19, Istanbul’s High Penal Court issued an arrest warrant for Gulen and his aide Sinan Dursun for “attempting to stage a coup, establishing and masterminding an armed organization and political espionage” in Turkey.

On Feb. 24, a Turkish criminal court in Istanbul issued an arrest warrant for Gulen and Uslu, again related to the “parallel state” probe.

The “parallel state” or “parallel structure” refers to a purported group of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials embedded in the country’s institutions, including the judiciary and police, who are allegedly trying to undermine the elected government.

The ongoing operation against this network has resulted in the detention of dozens of police officers and the reassignment of hundreds of other officers across Turkey.

Source: aa.com.tr

Azerbaijan Arrests Seven Security Officials

October 23, 2015 By administrator

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (Source: Reuters)

BAKU (RFE/RL)—Authorities in Azerbaijan have arrested seven officials with the National Security Ministry, accusing them of abuse of power just days after the ministry’s chief was sacked.

The arrests come as President Ilham Aliyev’s government continues to tighten its grip on opposition groups, independent media, and overall political life in the oil-rich, ex-Soviet republic on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office said in an October 20 statement that the security officials were arrested on suspicion of “illegal interference in the activities of business entities.”

No further details were given.

Azerbaijani media reported that those arrested included Natavan Mirvatova, who heads the ministry’s technical operations administration and was awarded a medal for her work two years ago.

On October 17, Aliyev’s office announced the dismissal of National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov, who had served since 2004, just after Aliyev became president, and was widely seen as a loyal ally to the Azerbaijani leader.

Opposition politicians complained that Aliyev’s failure to explain the reason for Mahmudov’s firing showed that there is no transparency in the country’s political decision-making process.

Aliyev also dismissed his previous national security minister in July 2004 without providing a reason.

Family Dynasty

Aliyev became president in 2003 after the death of his father, Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB officer who had steered the country through the chaos of post-Soviet independence and a disastrous war with Armenia in the early 1990s.

Vast oil and gas resources, located mainly in offshore fields in the Caspian Sea, have drawn major investments from international oil companies, including ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron. The influx of wealth has helped transform Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, giving it a glittering skyline.

The country is set to hold parliamentary elections next month, though many observers predict that the ruling party will again win a majority of seats and that the vote will be marred by a lack of transparency and other problems.

The Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has canceled its mission to monitor the election, saying that too many restrictions had been imposed on them.

Aliyev’s reelection in 2013 has been followed by a crackdown on human rights workers, journalists, and opposition activists. Authorities have also barred Amnesty International from working in the country.

Among the journalists who have been prosecuted is Khadija Ismayilova, a prominent investigative reporter and RFE/RL contributor who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after a conviction on embezzlement and tax evasion that observers called outrageous and brutal.

Russia arrests would-be terrorists

October 11, 2015 By administrator

Russian security forces (file photo)

Russia’s National Anti-terrorism Committee says it has arrested a group of people preparing to carry out a terrorist attack in Moscow.

The counter-terrorism agency said that it detained suspects during raids carried out in various parts of the capital, Moscow, on Sunday.

The anti-terrorism body said that an improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered at one of the apartments and was defused.

“At the flat where the bandits were hiding, an improvised explosive device was found and defused,” TASS news agency quoted the committee as saying in a statement on Sunday.

The Russian security forces have not immediately released details about the identities of the suspects.

TASS cited sources as saying that the target of the terrorist attack was to be in the Moscow.

Russian forces have been carrying out security operations against purported al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Northern Caucasus during the past two decades.

Russia has been targeted by terrorist attacks many times in the past.

The developments come as senior authorities in Russia say hundreds of Chechens have left for Syria to join Takfiri Daesh militants since the beginning of the conflict in the Arab country in 2011.

Istanbul: Arrest warrants issued for 9 suspects in Dink murder

October 7, 2015 By administrator

Prosecutors in Istanbul on Tuesday, October 6, ordered the arrests of nine people suspected in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Daily Sabah reports.

Dink was one of the founders of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian Agos newspaper and was killed outside his office in Istanbul on January 19, 2007.

His murder sparked widespread protests and led to speculation about the involvement of far-right groups and claims of a cover-up.

Ogun Samast, who was aged 17 years at the time of the killing, was jailed for 23 years in 2011. He claimed he killed Dink for “insulting Turkishness.”

An earlier investigation showed that the prosecutors who worked on the case ignored serious allegations of the involvement of top police officers in the murder.

The prosecutors are accused of having ties with the Gülen Movement, a group whose widespread infiltration of the judiciary and police enabled them to influence cases or fabricate them for their own interests.
Related links:
Daily Sabah. Istanbul prosecutor orders arrests in Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink murder case
Հրանտ Դինքի սպանության գործով նոր բացահայտումներ և ձերբակալություններ. Ermenihaber.am

Electricity Price Hike Protests Result in Arrests, Clashes with Police

September 2, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN—As has been promised for weeks, the “No to Plunder” movement, which mobilized tens of thousands of Armenians in June to stage a two-week sit-in at Baghramyan Avenue, staged another protest on Tuesday, which began at Lover’s Park and moved to Republic Square.

At Republic Square the group of protesters were met by another group of protesters from the “Rise Up Armenia” group and proceeded to march toward the presidential palace on Baghramyan Avenue.

Protesters clashed with police as several members of the “No to Plunder” movement were arrested and were released within hours and returned to the protests.

There, the organizers, once again outlined their demands, specifically urging President Serzh Sarkisian to honor his pledge of the government subsidizing the electricity price hike until the results of a scheduled audit are announced.

Turkish police arrest more journalists on alleged terror charges

September 2, 2015 By administrator

Turkish police have raided the Ankara-based offices of a media group critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a day after two British reporters were jailed on controversial terror charges, The Guardian reports.

The raids on Koza-Ipek Media sparked fresh concern about press freedom in Turkey, which is gearing for snap legislative elections in November, the second in five months.

Six people were arrested and a warrant issued for the conglomerate’s chief executive, Akin Ipek, who was thought to be in Britain, the state-run Anatolia news agency said, according to The Guardian.

The raid on Tuesday, September 1, came a day after a court in Turkey’s Kurdish-dominated southeast ordered two British journalists working for US-based Vice News to be remanded in custody on terror charges.

Speaking on Kanalturk on Tuesday, Ipek denounced the operation as “baseless” and “funny”, adding: “If they [police] are able to find even a cent of illicit money I am ready to hand my company over to them.”

Ali Haydar Konca, Turkey’s new EU affairs minister from the Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), said the raids “cannot be justified”.

“I’m worried that operations targeting the media will create great concern across the world about the state of democracy in Turkey,” he added.