Bülent Arınç, the former minister and one of the founders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), is a 'secret brother' of the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ). U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen's network, referred to as the FETÖ, was one of the masterminds of the 2016 coup attempt in the country.
Families of many members of the ruling AKP party cadre, in particular, were detained and arrested on charges of 'being members of FETÖ' after the coup attempt, but then released upon the order of the Turkish authorities.
While the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law, Minister of Energy Berat Albayrak, is the only name who has had action taken against him by the authorities despite strong allegations regarding his FETÖ ties, the situation of the other in-laws of AKP members is something to take note of.
BÜLENT ARINÇ
Bülent Arınç’s son-in-law academic Ekrem Yeter was dismissed from the Yıldırım Beyazıt University in Ankara by statutory decree, and then arrested due to allegations of being a member of FETÖ.
Ekrem Yeter was released on June 8, 2017, on the grounds of 'conditions of available evidence' and claims that the 'permanent address of the suspect and any benefit expected from the arrest would be met with judicial control measures'.
In the trial, the prosecutor asked for a 15-year prison sentence for Yeter, who has just been given trial without arrest.
KADİR TOPBAŞ
The former Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Kadir Topbaş’s son-in-law Ömer Faruk Kavurmacı is also on the list of those accused of being FETÖ members. Kadir Topbaş had resigned his post upon the order of Erdoğan in previous months.
Kavurmacı, who is currently the CEO of Aydınlı Group and the licenser of famous clothing brands such as Pierre Cardin, Cacharel and US Polo, had been arrested for his FETÖ ties, but was subsequently released. The Turkish government had appointed a trustee to the pro-Gülenist Aydınlı Group after the coup attempt.
Kavurmacı had been released on the grounds of 'health problems' in May 2017, as the prosecutor demanded up to a 15-year prison sentence for him.
İSMAİL KAHRAMAN
Sinan Yıldırım, the son-in-law of the Chair of the Turkish Parliament İsmail Kahraman, is one of the associates of the Central Hospital, confiscated by the Turkish government due to its strong ties with the Gülen network.
Yıldırım had fled abroad after his company was accused of having FETÖ affiliations. There are many claims circulating about his escape, but most of these claims are yet to be substantiated.
Despite this, İsmail Kahraman was nominated as a candidate for the Turkish Parliamentary Speaker’s Office, and elected as the Chairperson of the Parliament by the votes of the AKP deputies.
İSMET YILMAZ
The ruling AKP experienced a similar son-in-law crisis with the Minister of National Education İsmet Yılmaz.
Following the July 15 coup attempt, Adnan Yılmaz, the brother of İsmet Yılmaz and the Governor of Turkey’s northwestern province of Düzce, was dismissed by the government.
Yılmaz was banned from leaving the country, while Fatih Sevinç, Adnan Yılmaz’s son-in-law and the Former District Governor of İdil [a district in Turkey’s southeastern province of Şırnak], was suspended from his duty on charges of being a member of FETÖ.
Fatih Sevinç was the executive assistant of the Chairperson of the Parliament İsmail Kahraman before he was suspended from his duty during the period of July 15 coup.
