Faruk Güllü, businessman and the founder of a well-known baklava company in Turkey, has been sentenced to eight years, nine months in prison over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, the NTV news website reported on Wednesday.
The sentence was handed down by an İstanbul high criminal court which ruled that Güllü was a member of the movement, which the Turkish authorities accuse of orchestrating a coup attempt in July 2016.
The movement strongly denies any involvement.
The court also decided to release Güllü pending appeal, taking into consideration his health problems and the fact that he has been behind bars for three-and-a-half years. He has been placed under judicial supervision and banned from travelling abroad.
The court also decided to lift the measures imposed on Güllü’s assets, specifically the decision to appoint trustees to run his companies, citing a lack of substantive evidence of the acquisition of the assets through criminal activities. However, the decision will be implemented once his appeal is decided.
