Erhan Arikli has been relieved of his duties as the north’s ‘transport minister’, ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel announced on Wednesday evening.

“In order to ensure that our police and judicial authorities can conduct the investigation without leaving any room for doubt. I have decided to expand the scope of the suspensions of duties which we implemented following the accident,” he said.

He added that “in this context, I have informed our transport minister, Erhan Arikli, that I have removed him from his post”.

However, he later said that “regarding the role of Transport Minister Erhan Arikli, actions will be taken within the framework of the provisions and powers stipulated by the constitution”, leaving the question of the immediate future of the responsibilities of his ‘ministry’ open.

This comes after responsibility for the north’s ports department was earlier on Wednesday transferred from the ‘transport ministry’ to the ‘prime minister’s’ office.

More to follow…