A court in the Black Sea province of Samsun has appointed trustees to three companies including the popular online shopping company, tozlu.com, over their alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement.
The Samsun court decided that Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) officials be appointed as trustees to the three companies on the grounds that they provide financial support to the Gülen movement.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has already been appointing trustees to private companies as part of its battle against the Gülen movement since a corruption scandal led to the resignation of four Cabinet members in December 2013. A total of 2,000 trustees have been appointed to hundreds of private enterprises in Turkey from the beginning of 2016.
Thanks to decrees issued as part of the state of emergency declared on July 20 following a failed coup, Turkey’s government is now seizing all the Turkish companies and properties owned by businessmen allegedly linked to Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15 that killed over 240 people and wounded more than a thousand others. Immediately after the putsch, the government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement although the movement denies any involvement.
