Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan restructured his cabinet on late Wednesday after three members quit over a corruption scandal that has posed an unprecedented challenge to his 11-year rule.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turk Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler resigned. Their sons Salih Kaan an Baris Guler were among 24 people arrested on corruption charges on December 17 in a case centring on state-run lender Halkbank.
Both denied accusations of involvement in bribery relating to urban development projects and the allocation of construction permits.
The third, Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, turned on the premier.
“For the sake of the wellbeing of this nation and country, I believe the prime minister should resign,” he told a news channel.
The crisis erupted on December 17 when dozens of people, including of the head of state-run Halkbank, were arrested on graft charges. Erdogan responded by removing police investigators. The ensuing feud with the judiciary reignited long-simmering street protests and rattled foreign investors.