ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Tuesday that his party had "never been involved by any means" in the Turkish parliamentary committee’s decision not to try four former ministers accused of corruption.
A 14-member panel Monday voted against sending four former ministers to trial before the Supreme Council, also known as the Constitutional Court, over corruption allegations.
Nine members voted against a trial while five voted in favor.
"We respect the objective report of the committee and the final decision of the Grand Assembly," Davutoglu said, speaking at his Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
The Turkish PM stressed that AK Party had never tried to influence committee members to vote against, or in favor, of a trial.
"However, the opposition parties made every day comments reflecting bias," Davutoglu said.
The committee was composed of 14 lawmakers from different political parties. There were nine from the ruling AK Party, four from the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, and one member from the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP.
In May 2014, the inquiry committee began its investigation into corruption allegations against former Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, ex-Interior Minister Muammer Guler, former Urbanization Minister Erdogan Bayraktar and former EU Minister Egemen Bagis.
All four were linked to an anti-graft probe, which was launched on Dec. 17, 2013.
Now, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey will give its final decision over the trial of the ministers, Turkish PM reiterated.
After the corruption inquiry committee issues a report of its findings to the parliament by Jan. 9, lawmakers will vote by secret ballot in the general assembly to determine whether the four former ministers will face a trial.
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