Kilicdaroglu: Tampering with evidence is protecting murderers

Upon a report by Deutsche Welle Turkish that a police report of critical importance in a political murder case vanished from police custody in Turkey, the presidential candidate of the opposition said in a live broadcast on Thursday that "tampering with evidence" would mean "protecting the murderers."

After Sinan Ates, the former leader of Turkish Grey Wolves, was assassinated on 30 December in Ankara, Tolgahan Demirbas, who is suspected of aiding the triggerman flee, was captured in a residence in the company of Olcay Kilavuz, deputy for the far right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

DW Turkish recently said that the police report containing the details of the raid at the residence and the conditions of arrest is now missing. The report was part of the evidence that MHP deputy Kilavuz and suspect Demirbas were together in the residence at the time of the raid.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the presidential candidate of a six-party opposition bloc, said during an interview broadcast live by Halk TV:

"Once you start tampering with evidence, it means you have started protecting the murderers. I hope this is not the case. If you have destroyed your own report, this is a very serious felony. Those who wrote down the report and those who allegedly destroyed it, they are all still alive though. A report is the police's honor. Things will all come to light somehow."

MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, who both appointed Sinan Ates to his post as the leader of Grey Wolves and removed him later for reasons still not known, has not responded yet to allegations that Ates's murder was the result of internal strife within MHP and that some party officials may be involved in the murder.