Turkey seizes 18 companies of Akın İpek worth 10 billion dollars

An Ankara court ordered on Thursday the seizure of all assets of Akın İpek, including 18 companies that worth over 10 billion dollars, İpek wrote in his personal Twitter account.

Ankara 4th Penal Court of Peace judge Deniz Gül ordered on Thursday to transfer all assets of 18 companies belong to İpek to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) over their alleged links with the Gülen movement, a social movement which was inspired by US-based Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen who Turkish government accuses him of masterminding the failed coup attempt on July 15 in Turkey.

“The night gets darker, storm gets wilder. It does not stop. They seized all my companies today. (Worth) 10 billion dollar. Without trial, without a court (verdict). I did not do anything wrong. I have been involved in any crime. Never gave up living straight. My religion forbids (living in a wrong way). God had given (wealth), and I just say If he wishes,he gives again. So much of pain, so much of tears…” İpek wrote in tweets.

Earlier on Thursday, a wall and some arbors of a house belong to Melek İpek, Akın İpek’s mother, that were allegedly illegal, demolished by municipality teams from Ankara’s Gölbaşı district municipality, which is a Justice and Development Party (AKP) municipality, accompanied by an Ottoman march music.

The İpek family has been under immense pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement following corruption operations that were conducted on Dec. 17/25, 2013.

On Oct. 24, 2015, the government appointed trustees to take over the management of dozens of companies belonging to the İpek family in addition to several media outlets operating under the İpek Media Group, due to their critical stance against the government.

Earlier on Wednesday, an İstanbul court had also ordered the seizure of all assets of 41 businessmen suspected of allegedly financing the Gülen movement. Assets of Akfa Holding and its 44 subsidiaries, and Fi Yapı executive board chairman Fikret İnan have been seized.

Some TL 12 billion (about $4 billion) in property has been transferred to the Treasury as part of an investigation into the Gülen movement, said Minister for Environment and Urbanization Mehmet Özhaseki on Sept.1.

“A total of 2,514 properties have been transferred to the Treasury and 2,083 properties to the Directorate General of Foundations. Property valued at approximately TL 12 billion has been transferred to the Treasury,” said Özhaseki.

Shaken by the Dec. 15/25, 2013 corruption investigations, the Turkish government had launched a witch-hunt against people who are sympathizers of Gülen. Over 4,000 people were detained, more than 900 were arrested and some 300 companies including banks, hospitals and media had been seized by the government by mid-2016.

Immediately after the putsch on July 15, AKP government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement. Despite Gülen and the movement having denied the accusation and calling for an international investigation, Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government launched a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.

Some 86,000 people have been purged from state bodies, nearly 41,000 detained and 22,000 arrested since the coup attempt. Arrestees included journalists, judges, prosecutors, police and military officers, academics, governors and even a comedian.

Published on Turkish Minute, 9 September 2016, Friday