A Brazilian court has turned down a request from Turkey for the extradition of a businessman who has links to the Gülen movement, saying there is no guarantee the businessman will receive a fair trial if he is extradited, BBC Turkish service reported on Wednesday.
The decision by the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court concerning 31-year-old businessman Ali Sipahi, who has been living in Brazil for 12 years, was made unanimously by five judges.
“There is no assurance that the extradited person would be ensured an impartial trial by an independent judge,” Justice Edson Fachin said in his ruling.
Sipahi, the owner of several restaurants in Sao Paulo, is a member of the Gülen movement, which is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup in July 2016 and has been named a terrorist organization. The movement strongly denies any involvement in the coup or terrorism.
Brazil’s chief prosecutor’s office argued before the court against the extradition of Sipahi, saying it had no evidence of terrorist acts allegedly committed by the Gülen movement.
The Estado de S.Paulo newspaper reported that there are about 300 Turkish citizens linked to the Gülen movement living in Brazil and that Turkey’s government is seeking the extradition of at least 10 of them.