Man faces prison term for sale of weapon project

Prosecutors are asking for up to 19 years in prison for Mustafa Tanrıverdi, the former manager of a state-run arms factory accused of attempting to sell drawings and technical details of the country's first domestically made infantry rifle.

Tanrıverdi was caught red-handed in a police sting in the capital Ankara last April as he tried to sell the confidential drawings and technical details of the MPT-76 to a U.S.-based Turkish businessman, who had earlier alerted authorities.

In a hearing yesterday, prosecutors suggested the court issue a prison term of between six to 19 years for Tanrıverdi, who ran the Machine and Chemical Industry Agency (MKEK), a leading arms producer for the army and police based in Kırıkkale, a city near Ankara. He is charged with attempted bribery and attempting to sell confidential material whose sale may harm state security. Tanrıverdi has dismissed the allegations and claimed he was set up by Kutlay Kaya, the buyer who tipped off Tanrıverdi to the police after the latter offered him the project details in an earlier meeting.

Tanrıverdi, who has claimed in earlier hearings that he was attracted by the money offered to buy the drawings and details, denied he tried to sell it in yesterday's hearing and said Kaya, who arranged the meeting at a restaurant in Ankara, handed him a bag before he left and then police officers stormed the place and detained him. He claimed he did not know the bag was full of previously marked wads of money.

Kutlay Kaya, who runs an arms company, told the court Tanrıverdi complained his salary was low after they first met in January, hinting he would accept bribes in return for "all information and drawings of the MPT-76." He said he immediately alerted authorities and police later contacted him and urged him to continue his meetings with Tanrıverdi, aiming to capture him red-handed. He said the documents the defendant gave him were openly marked with "confidential" sign, countering Tanrıverdi's allegations.