Cabinet convenes

Speaking after yesterday's Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) neither protects nor supports criminals. Speaking about a fraud case involving the Lighthouse Foundation, a German-based Turkish charity, Cicek said that the AKP hasn't been silent about the case. Stating that there is an ongoing legal case and that Turkey's judiciary is independent, he added, "When a crime has been committed, prosecutors can act by themselves. They don't need to get anyone's approval for crimes such as fraud. In this case, unfortunately, politics got involved in legal matters, and there were efforts to implicate the prime minister through the case." Touching on the motion enabling cross-border operations into northern Iraq, Cicek said that the Cabinet will extend its duration for one more year.