‘Gray civil servants’ to be tracked for up to four years before dismissal

ANKARA

An offer regarding some 70,000 civil servants suspended over suspected links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY) was made in a cabinet meeting on Aug. 9, suggesting that the personnel could be tracked for up to four years before being dismissed in order to determine if there was sufficient evidence of links to the group.

The suggestion stated that the suspended personnel would be tracked if there wasn’t adequate evidence on their links to FETÖ/PDY when they were suspended, daily Habertürk reported on Aug. 10.

The suspended personnel under tracking would be regarded as “gray civil servants” and if their links to U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, believed to be behind the July 15 failed coup attempt, were to be determined, they would be dismissed, according to the suggestion. 

Institutions would begin dismissing suspended personnel after completing administrative inquiries into them, according to the suggestion brought to agenda during the cabinet meeting. 

Daily notices received by ministries on suspected FETÖ members will be evaluated separately and will not include handing out suspensions to all of them. 

The “gray civil servants” system will be implemented for the aforementioned personnel and they will be classified as “very suspicious,” “suspicious” and “less suspicious,” the suggestion stated. If a civil servant’s connections to FETÖ/PDY were determined with solid evidence, they would be dismissed.

The ones in the “less suspicious” group would be tracked for up to four years and dismissed if links to Gülenists were determined.

 The majority of the suspensions were handed out by Turkey’s Education Ministry, with some 22,000 personnel being suspended, followed by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), from which approximately 9,000 personnel were suspended. Nearly 8,000 personnel were suspended from the police and 6,000 suspensions were handed out in the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, nearly 500 notices were made on Health Ministry personnel regarding their links to FETÖ/PDY, as the operations against the suspected coup plotters were ongoing. 

Investigations were being launched into civil servants on whom a notice was given.