Baykal: "The Ergenekon probe is a scandal"

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized the ongoing Ergenekon probe. Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting, Baykal pointed to the lack of an indictment in the case. "People have been taken into custody and detained for 13 months, but they don't even know their (alleged) crimes," he said, branding the probe a scandal. Commenting on Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan comparing the probe to Italy's Clean Hands anti-crime operation, Baykal claimed that there was no similarity between the two, adding, "After all, if one intends to start such an operation, first your own hands have to be clean," hinting at corruption claims against the premier. Calling allegations of a planned coup to topple the government absurd, the CHP leader said, "There are only retired generals, no soldiers and no tanks, but only computer disks. Let's get serious."