"Turkish chief justice calls for criminal investigation of PM court criticism
Gabriel Haboubi at 3:18 PM ET
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[JURIST] Chief Justice Tulay Tugcu [official profile, in Turkish] of Turkey's Constitutional Court [official website] asked prosecutors Wednesday to investigate whether criminal charges should be brought against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan [BBC profile] for televised comments made Tuesday that Tugcu believes may violate laws against insulting state institutions. During a televised interview on Tuesday, Erdogan called the court's May 1 decision to cancel a presidential vote [JURIST report] for lack of quorum a 'disgrace to the justice system.' Tugcu said she believed the remarks demonstrated an increasing lack of respect for Turkey's high court. Despite her concerns, Erdogan is unlikely to be prosecuted because parliament, where Erdogan's supporters hold a majority of seats, would first have to vote to revoke his immunity before charges could be brought. "
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