EU expects "transparency and impartiality" from Turkey

Source: Beta, DPA, AFP

BRUSSELS -- The EU Commission has expressed concern over the crisis in Turkey with and is seeking a transparent and impartial investigation into the corruption allegations.

(Beta/AP, file)

"The recent steps are a matter of a concern," said a statement from Olivier Bailly, the spokesperson for EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule.
Turkey is an EU-candidate where hundreds of police officers have been sacked in recent days in what appears to be retaliation for a graft probe into the premier's closest allies, AFP reported.

"We urge Turkey, as a candidate country committed to the political criteria of accession, including the application of the rule of law, to take all the necessary measures to ensure that allegations of wrongdoing are addressed without discrimination or preference in a transparent and impartial manner," the statement added.

In December, the police in Turkey arrested dozens of people allegedly tied to a high-level corruption scandal, including three former ministers and their sons. The recent removal of police officers and chiefs is seen as a retaliatory move by Erdogan's government.