Major convicted of bribery offers defense: 'I am a nationalist, I am a fan of Bahçeli and Erdoğan!' 'FETÖ members and Ergenekon figures conspired against me'

The trial of a former station commander and a total of 38 defendants, who were arrested on allegations of accepting bribes during village guard recruitment in the Ergani district of Diyarbakır, continued in the high criminal court. Major Ahmet Eren, who spent approximately 7 months in prison, denied the accusations against him and claimed that the incident was a setup orchestrated against him.

"I AM A NATIONALIST, I AM A FAN OF BAHÇELİ AND ERDOĞAN"

According to the report by Özgür Cebe from Sözcü, speaking at the hearing held at the Diyarbakır High Criminal Court, former Ergani Station Commander Major Ahmet Eren stated that he did not accept the bribery charges and claimed that a plan was being executed against him. Eren alleged that certain high-ranking commanders who were previously investigated in FETÖ probes and the Ergenekon case had targeted him, stating the following:

“I am a soldier with nationalist roots. For this reason, I am a fan of Devlet Bahçeli and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Deputy Provincial Gendarmerie Commander of that period, who dealt with me, was a FETÖ member. Retired Gendarmerie Staff Colonel Ali Demir is also a name who was suspended during the Ergenekon case.”

The court panel sentenced Eren to 5 years, 2 months, and 15 days in prison for the crime of extortion (official misconduct), and also banned him from exercising his professional rights and powers for 3 years. 35 other defendants, including the Major's brother, Specialist Sergeant Soner Eren, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

News Source: 12punto