Parliament to probe bugs

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Minister of Transportation Binali Yıldırım welcomes the motion.

Parliament has approved the proposal to establish a commission to investigate illegal wiretapping after motions provided by each political party group were merged yesterday and added to Parliament’s general assembly agenda. 

Illegal wiretapping through hidden bugs or other means became a hot topic in Turkey’s political circles after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that bugs had been found in his office.

Parliament has decided to create an investigative commission at the end of the plenary session. The commission will be on duty for four months and will have 16 members.

Justice and Development Party (AKP) member and Minister of Transportation Binali Yıldırım said he was in support of the motion.

“The rule is communication and wiretapping is an exception. Listening, watching and following must not be the first thing done. However, it is true that we are experiencing problems in the practice,” Yıldırım said. 

He added he was hopeful the commission’s service would shed a light on cases of illegal wiretapping.