Gülenist fugitives arrive in Istanbul after extradition from Romania

Two Gülenist police officers who had escaped to Romania after being accused of wiretapping President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's office while he was the prime minister arrived in Istanbul on late Saturday after their extradition from Romania. Two officers have been arrested on Sunday.

A Romanian court ruled on March 20 for the extradition of the two fugitives who were on the run after facing charges, after Turkey sent an investigation file prepared by a prosecutors' office to Romania. The two alleged Gülen Movement-linked suspects, stood trial at a Romanian court for a second time last week.

The two suspects, Sedat Zavar and İlker Usta, fled abroad to avoid being questioned as part of an operation in Turkey to dismantle the investigation into illegal activities of the Gülen Movement, led by Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S.

The two suspects are expected to attend a hearing scheduled for May 4 in Ankara. Prosecutors are looking at between 21 to 36 years imprisonment for the suspects.

The suspects are accused of wiretapping Turkey's top officials and of disclosing highly confidential information as well as "forming an organization to commit crime and being a member of a criminal organization," "violating privacy," "illegally seizing personal information" and "forgery of official documents."