Demoted Turkish minister quits

ANKARA, Turkey -- The senior Turkish minister known for his hard-hitting anti-corruption inquiries has quit the government after being reassigned to a junior post.

Saadettin Tantan was dismissed as Interior Minister and moved to a junior post on Tuesday.

He quit Turkey's cabinet and conservative Motherland Party on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Tantan, who was moved to oversee customs, spearheaded an anti-corruption drive that was popular with the public.

His campaign reached high into the bureaucracy and administrations of failed banks and helped produce instability that sparked a financial crisis in late November.

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It was watched closely by the European Union and IMF who see corruption as one of the chief ills afflicting Turkey.

His resignation had been expected after his humiliating demotion on Tuesday night and could threaten further instability in a crisis-wracked government.

"I am resigning from my new office because my appointment to another ministry is incompatible with my personal principles and understanding of politics," Tantan said in a statement.

"I also resign from Motherland."

It was not immediately clear what political future Tantan, a former police commander with a reputation for leading from the front, saw for himself.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit announced Tantan's reassignment to the ministry responsible for customs.

Rustu Kamil Yucelen had replaced Tantan as head of the Interior Ministry as part of the government reshuffle. Yilmaz Karakoyunlu was named privatisation minister.

Ecevit did not explain why he was reshuffling his government.