Summary Majority of 15 members of commission of inquiry belong to ruling Justice and Development Party.
ANKARA (AFP) - A Turkish parliamentary commission met on Monday to decide if four ministers who resigned in the wake of a stunning 2013 corruption scandal that shook the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should stand trial.
The commission will decide whether to send the case of the ministers to the Supreme Council court, which only hears cases against cabinet ministers and other top officials.
The decision had been expected on December 22 but was unexpectedly delayed for two weeks amid frenzied speculation about what the fate of the ministers could be.
Sending one or all of the ministers to court could be seen as a tacit admission there was some truth to the graft allegations, which emerged in December 2013 while Erdogan was still prime minister.
However preventing any further action could also open the government up to accusations that it is sweeping the whole affair under the carpet ahead of June s parliamentary elections.
The majority of the 15 members of the commission of inquiry belong to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Their decision is expected to be made public later Monday.
Former interior minister Muammer Guler, ex-environment minister Erdogan Bayraktar, ex-economy minister Zafer Caglayan and ex-EU affairs minister Egemen Bagis face accusations of bribery and influence-peddling.
They are accused of receiving bribes from an Iranian businessman, Reza Zarrab, to facilitate sanctions-busting trade and other deals. Caglayan allegedly accepted a $300,000 (245,000 euro) watch as a bribe.
The four suspects resigned in the wake of a corruption probe launched last December which Erdogan angrily claimed was the brainchild of his ally-turned-foe, the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The corruption scandal also touched Erdogan himself, after leaked tapes emerged in February where he allegedly told his son Bilal to dispose of some 30 million euros ($37 million) in cash on the day of the December 17 police raids.
Erdogan has dismissed the recordings as a "vile montage". All four ministers have said they are innocent.
Erdogan has vowed to show no mercy in the fight against Gulen and the authorities have over the last year effectively purged the police force and judiciary to rid them of alleged pro-Gulenist elements.
Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of police officers suspected of involvement in the wire-tapping in a succession of raids, the latest raids taking place Monday.
