Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan replaced his justice and interior ministers in a surprise cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, stoking concerns about an increasingly politicised judiciary.
Istanbul's chief prosecutor Akin Gurlek, known for leading high-profile trials against members of opposition parties, has been appointed as justice minister, replacing Yilmaz Tunc, the Official Gazette announced.
Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, becomes interior minister, replacing Ali Yerlikaya.
The Gazette said both Mr Yerlikaya and Mr Tunc had asked to be relieved of their duties. The changes come as Ankara is considering constitutional reforms and is engaged in a peace process with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), aimed at ending about four decades of conflict.
As Istanbul's chief prosecutor, Mr Gurlek oversaw dozens of corruption probes leading to the arrests of officials from the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), including the city's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Mr Imamoglu is considered to be Mr Erdogan's biggest rival and his arrest last year prompted Turkey’s largest protests in over a decade.
Mr Gurlek had filed a vast indictment against 402 people over alleged crimes, including bribery and extortion as part of a major investigation into the leadership of Istanbul. Mr Imamoglu denied all charges against him.
Since then, several CHP district mayors in Istanbul and other major Turkish cities have been removed from their posts over similar corruption allegations.
Critics have warned that an increasingly politicised judiciary in Turkey could contribute towards preventing the country from achieving long-held strategic aims, such as EU membership.
Turkish government officials have denied that the arrest of Mr Imamoglu and his associates is politically motivated.
Ozgur Ozel, head of the CHP, said Mr Gurlek was a “tool” used by Mr Erdogan.
“They cannot stop our march to power,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
