Sons of three Turkish ministers arrested

The sons of three Turkish cabinet ministers were arrested in a dawn raid on Tuesday as part of a year-long bribery probe.

Turkish media reported that the sons of the interior minister, the economics minister, and the environment and city planning minister were detained along with the head of the state-controlled Halkbank, an Istanbul district mayor, and three construction tycoons. The detained are accused of involvement in a bribery scheme and rigging state tenders.

Two high-profile prosecutors have been assigned. As of late Tuesday local time, the detainees had been given access to their lawyers but had not provided statements. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters, in response to questions about the arrests, "It would not be right for me to speak before the legal process is finalized."

[The Guardian] [Hurriyet Daily News]