Bribery ring at courthouse exposed: 22 suspects in custody

According to the information obtained, within the scope of an investigation conducted by the Çorum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was discovered that some public officials working within the Sungurlu Courthouse Enforcement and Execution Bureau were accepting bribes to postpone prison sentences or irregularly close case files in favor of individuals sentenced to imprisonment.

As a result of the efforts, an operation was carried out by teams from the Çorum Provincial Police Department's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch. During the operation, 22 people, including Sungurlu Courthouse Clerk of Court A.A., were caught red-handed.

In a statement regarding the matter, the Çorum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said, "Within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Çorum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, information was obtained that some public officials working within the Sungurlu Courthouse Enforcement and Execution Bureau were resorting to postponing or irregularly closing case files in favor of individuals sentenced to imprisonment based on a finalized judgment, despite the legal conditions not being met, in exchange for financial gain. 

In this context, a decision for communication interception was obtained by the Çorum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in accordance with Articles 135 and 140 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and in line with the ongoing investigation, the individual public official was caught red-handed by the judicial law enforcement officers of the Çorum Provincial Police Department's KOM Branch at the moment the financial gain was obtained. A total of 22 suspects, including A.A., who serves as the Clerk of Court at the Sungurlu Courthouse, were apprehended and taken into custody on suspicion of committing the crimes of 'embezzlement', 'bribery', 'extortion by persuasion', and 'fraud by using public institutions and organizations as a tool' as principal perpetrators and accomplices. The investigation is continuing meticulously and in a multi-faceted manner," the statement read.

News Source: İHA