Admiral on trial in Turkey

The trial of a former commander of Turkey's navy charged with abusing his power and irregularly allocating contracts opened yesterday, news reports said.

Admiral Ilhami Erdil is the highest-ranking military officer to be prosecuted on corruption charges in decades, and the trial is seen as an effort by the military to address allegations of corruption within its ranks.

Turkey's chief of staff, General Hilmi Ozkok, considered to be a strong supporter of Turkey's bid to join the European Union, authorised the proceedings.

The trial comes just days after the European Union agreed to open accession talks with Turkey. Turkey is pressing forward with reforms aimed at bringing the country closer to its decades-long dream of joining the EU, such as curbing the powers of the generals and making military spending more transparent.

Hurriyet newspaper on yesterday reported that the military had authorised proceedings against 39 people, including generals, allegedly involved in bribe-taking and other irregularities with military construction contracts. It was not clear when those proceedings would begin.

There have been repeated allegations in the past of corruption within the military, but officers have usually not been brought to trial.

The military, which staged three coups since the 1960s and pressured an Islamic government to resign in 1997, rarely authorised investigations into corruption allegations.

The accusations against Erdil, who headed the navy for three years starting from 1999, surfaced when he was unable to account for two luxury apartments he purchased in Istanbul, allegedly worth a combined $1.25 million (Dh4.6 million), CNN-Turk television reported.

The admiral failed to declare the properties, despite being legally required to do so, and accountants determined that he could not have bought them on his salary, news reports said.

Erdil is accused of having exerted pressure for military contracts to be allocated to a company headed by his daughter and a close friend, news reports said. He is also accused of irregularities which resulted in the state footing bills for his personal expenses.

Erdil has rejected the accusations and said in a recent interview that a wealthy relative helped him buy the apartments.

Erdil could face up to 18 years in prison if convicted, according to Hurriyet. His wife and daughter also face three years in prison if convicted.