ANKARA (AFP)--Turkey's government came under pressure Thursday for a probe into an Islamist-leaning charity close to the ruling party after millions of dollars from its offspring in Germany were embezzled.
The probe into Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) in Germany, which resulted in three convictions Wednesday, triggered a political storm in Turkey amid claims that the charity, whose founders are close to the government, might have funneled funds into the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
Several people based in Turkey were implicated as the masterminds who guided the three convicts and "if they are not put on trial, that will confirm that the AKP government is protecting corruption," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a senior member of the main opposition, said.
"It's now Turkey's turn," the mass-selling Hurriyet daily trumpeted on its front page, while the English-language Turkish Daily News headlined: "Real culprits in Turkey."
A court in Frankfurt jailed the three charity managers for directing EUR14.5 million raised from the sizable Turkish community in Germany into private companies.
Most of the money is believed to have ended up in a business group close to the AKP and a television channel, Kanal 7, known as a staunch government supporter.
Among those who were implicated is also Zahid Akman, a former Kanal 7 anchorman and now the head of Turkey's media watchdog, who allegedly carried large amounts of cash from Germany to Turkey.
The government pledged it wouldn't turn a blind eye to the scandal.
"All those allegations must be investigated by Turkish prosecutors," Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said. "I believe our prosecutors will ask for the file on the case in Germany."
The scandal has the potential to shatter the AKP's claim to being a rare clean force in Turkey's corruption-ridden politics, which helped it win re-election for a second term last year with almost 47% of the vote.
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