http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-22242.html

The New Anatolian / Ankara
01 February 2007

An Ankara court yesterday ruled against an octogenarian who drew the wrath of government officials for his comments in a Greek guestbook, ordering him to pay a total of YTL 9,000 to three Cabinet ministers.

During a visit to the house where Ataturk was born in Thessalonica, Greece in May, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took sharp exception to 82-year-old Fethi Dorduncu's written comments, saying they included "insults and swearing."

Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, Health Minister Recep Akdag and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, who sought YTL 30,000 for damages from the former public servant on the grounds that the remarks insulted all three of them and were a grave attack against them personally and their posts, were each awarded YTL 3,000.

Erdogan and the Cabinet ministers who read the comments, which he brought back to Ankara, filed legal complaints against Dorduncu, who had branded the Justice and Development (AK) Party government "traitorous" and "treacherous," accusing it of betraying the legacy of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Following the first controversy, Dorduncu sent a letter to Justice Minister Cemil Cicek last year, continuing his criticism. The Justice Ministry then filed a complaint against Dorduncu, claiming that the letter publicly insults the government of the Turkish Republic.

Erdogan was also awarded damages against Dorduncu but the Public Prosecutor's Office concluded that the letter to Cicek was written on a personal level and that it doesn't constitute a "public insult," thus dismissing the complaint.

Another court had dropped yet another lawsuit filed by ruling party deputy leader Hayati Yazici against Dorduncu last year.

The Ankara Civil Court of First Instance had said there are no legal grounds to punish Dorduncu.