 after his son, Tayyip Zenbilci, was arrested on charges of drug trafficking, Deutsche Welle’s Turkish edition reported on Monday.){kind=link}
Ahmet Zenbilci, a member of the Turkish parliament representing southern Adana province, resigned from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after his son, Tayyip Zenbilci, was arrested on charges of drug trafficking, Deutsche Welle’s Turkish edition reported on Monday.
The arrest was part of a broader investigation led by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in southern Osmaniye province, according to the DW report.
Zenbilci’s son was taken into custody after law enforcement officials discovered 20 kilograms of skunk, a potent form of cannabis, in a vehicle registered in his father’s name. The vehicle was stopped and searched by police as part of a drug trafficking investigation, and Tayyip Zenbilci was detained at the scene.
The investigation revealed that the vehicle in question was registered to Ahmet Zenbilci, raising questions about the involvement of the lawmaker in the case. However, there is no evidence at this time suggesting Zenbilci’s direct participation in the drug trade.
Tayyip was brought before a court in Osmaniye, where he was formally charged with drug trafficking and subsequently placed in pretrial detention.
In response to the arrest and its potential impact on his political career and party, Ahmet Zenbilci announced his resignation as an AKP lawmaker. In a written statement Zenbilci explained that his resignation was motivated by the desire to ensure that the investigation proceeds without any political interference or harm to the ruling party’s reputation.
“As a father and a lawmaker, this is a deeply troubling event that I do not condone in any way. I hope the investigation will uncover the full truth, and I believe it is important that this process not be influenced by my political position,” Zenbilci posted on X, and subsequently deactivated his account.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government officials are frequently accused of pressuring Turkish judges and prosecutors to make politically motivated decisions.
The arrest of Tayyip Zenbilci and his father Ahmet Zenbilci’s resignation from the AKP stand out as exceptions in contrast to many criminal cases involving close relatives of ruling party officials, which are often hushed up, result in no charges or linger in the courts without leading to any arrests.
Turkey was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the rule of law index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) in October 2023.