World Bulletin / News Desk

Using a sealed bag and a special courier, the General Staff sent a DVD that is said to include suspected military plans to overthrow the government to the İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court, which is the site of the Ergenekon trial, the Star daily reported on Friday.

Ergenekon is a clandestine criminal network that has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government.

“DVD no. 51” was seized in the office of an ex-military officer, one of the key suspects in the case in 2009. The DVD includes information about the Sledgehammer coup plan as well as eight other similar plots, which are Acar (Bold) prepared in 1998, Alev (Flame) of 2002, Altay prepared in 2001, Atak (Attack) of 2002, Barbaros drawn up in 2001, Yarasa (Bat) of 2004, Yılmaz (Dauntless) in 2002 and Yıldırım (Bolt) of 2001. The DVD also includes information about the names of the members of the judiciary, ministers, politicians and journalists to be arrested once the Sledgehammer coup was successfully staged.

Lt. Gen. İsmail Hakkı Pekin told the İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court earlier this year that a copy of the DVD may be at the General Staff. And via official correspondence, the court asked the General Staff if it has a copy of the said DVD.

According to the Star, the General Staff replied to the correspondence in a confidential notice this week, stating that a military prosecutor is examining the DVD and a military investigation is under way into the DVD. The General Staff also sent the DVD to the court and asked the court to confirm as soon as it receives the DVD.

On DVD no.51, a number of files categorized as “top secret” were found, according to an indictment into the Ergenekon terrorist group. Claims indicate this DVD includes personal information about 5,763 individuals, including the prime minister, the president and some members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

A spreadsheet titled “The Supreme Court of Appeals,” for example, lists the names of various members of the judiciary, categorizing them as “Leftist/Kurdish,” “Left/Trustworthy,” “Left/Alevi,” “Fethullah [Gülen]-affiliated,” “Conservative/Sect follower” or “Left/Democrat.” There was also information about the private lives of the individuals on the list such as “He has had an affair with a married woman,” or “He is the most incompetent employee in the agency” or “Active in the Judges and Prosecutors Foundation [YARSAV].”