Former minister gets travel ban
A FORMER minister and her chief of staff have been banned from travelling abroad following the start of a misconduct trial.
Şerife Ünverdi, an exLabour and Social Security Minister, and Aytaç Çaluda, now an MP for the National Unity Party whose immunity against prosecution was lifted by Parliament in 2018, were indicted on Tuesday for “misconduct in public office” and “acting contrary to the Work Permit Law and its regulations”. The defendants denied the allegations.
The defendants’ lawyers Mustafa Asena and Macit
Şefik, as well as Prosecutor Behrat Mavioğlu, were in Lefkoşa Assize Court before Judge Temay Sağer for the hearing.
The court imposed a travel ban on both defendants pending the outcome of their
trial “in order to prevent them from fleeing the country”.
Prosecutor Mavioğlu accused Ms Ünverdi and Mr Çaluda of misconduct in public office while working at the Labour and Social Security Ministry between 2012 and 2013.
He said he had questioned one witness in the case and requested a second hearing so that the court could hear testimony from additional witnesses.
Judge Sağer evaluated the evidence that had been presented and adjourned the trial in order to hear the additional prosecution witnesses’ testimony.
The judge ordered all travel documents of the defendants to be seized and banned them from going abroad. In addition they both had to sign personal sureties of 250,000 TL each.