Turkey corruption scandal: ministers' sons charged

The sons of two Turkish government ministers and the head of a state-owned bank have been charged in connection to a corruption probe.

Dozens of people were detained during a series of police raids in Istanbul and Ankara on December 17.

A total of 24 people have been charged and are in detention awaiting trial on allegations including abuse of power and facilitating bribes.

They include Baris Guler, the son of the interior minister; and Kaan Caglayan, the son of the economy minister; and Halkbank CEO Suleyman Aslan.

Of those initially detained, 33 have now been released.

The investigation is being seen as a challenge to the authority of Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – who has called it a “dirty operation.”

Following the controversial arrests, dozens of police chiefs were reportedly sacked.

Commentators in Turkey believe that the arrests and firings are driven by a feud with Turkey’s ruling AK Party – between supporters of Erdogan and those who back exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the United States.