Turkish prosecutors on Friday sought the arrest of a doctor on suspicion of false testimony as part of a widening investigation into the 2016 death of former Transport Minister Arif Ahmet Denizolgun.
Dr. Nurettin Demirkol was detained and questioned before being referred to a criminal judgeship of peace with a request for his arrest, according to a referral document issued by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The investigation centers on alleged inconsistencies between Demirkol’s testimony and records of emergency calls made following Denizolgun’s death on Sept. 7, 2016.
Prosecutors said Demirkol testified as a witness on Aug. 26 that he did not know who had reported the death or when the report was made. He also said he was not Denizolgun’s doctor and had not considered the death suspicious.
However, a transcript of calls to the 155 police emergency line showed that Demirkol himself reported the death, identified himself as the family’s doctor and described it as an “unexpected, suspicious sudden death,” according to prosecutors.
According to the Sabah newspaper, the records also showed that Demirkol called police again four minutes later and identified himself by name.
Prosecutors said phone records and testimony from other witnesses also contradicted Demirkol’s account regarding when people arrived at and left the scene.
When questioned again as a suspect about the alleged inconsistencies, Demirkol repeatedly said he could not remember the details, according to the referral document.
Prosecutors said there was strong suspicion that Demirkol had committed the offense of false testimony and requested that he be formally arrested pending further proceedings.
The development is the latest in an expanding investigation into Denizolgun’s death.
Prosecutors ordered his grave exhumed in August after allegations were raised about his cause of death and the original autopsy. Forensic experts collected samples from the grave on Aug. 19 for renewed examination.
The Bakırköy prosecutor’s office later said a review of the autopsy had identified the death as suspicious and that an investigation into suspected homicide was continuing against several people, including Alihan Kuriş.
Kuriş, who took control of the group in 2016, was among 37 people detained in a nationwide operation last month targeting what prosecutors describe as an alleged profit-driven criminal organization.
Evidence gathered following the exhumation was referred to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute for further examination.
