Former İstanbul chief public prosecutor Hadi Salihoğlu and several other high-ranking judicial officials are set to face trial for allegedly using their positions to protect the criminal network of convicted TV preacher Adnan Oktar, according to a columnist for the Cumhuriyet daily.
Oktar, who was arrested in a 2018 police raid, has been convicted on multiple charges, including sexual exploitation, attempted murder and illegal detention. His case has drawn comparisons to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein, with Oktar depicted as a cult leader who manipulated and exploited his followers under the guise of religious preaching.
Barış Terkoğlu wrote in his column on Thursday that Salihoğlu, along with several former judges, is now a defendant in a high-profile case that accuses him and others of leveraging their judicial authority to cover up the alleged crimes of Oktar. The trial, announced by the Supreme Court of Appeals’ 5th Criminal Chamber, marks the first time such high-ranking judicial figures have been brought to trial in connection with the Oktar case.
Salihoğlu, who previously gained notoriety for his role in halting corruption investigations involving then-prime minister and current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s inner circle in December 2013, is accused of collaborating with Oktar’s criminal organization. Other defendants include former İstanbul Regional Court of Justice judges Ahmet Mahnaoğlu, Derya Bayburtluoğlu and Reyhan Yaman and former prosecutor Ali Parlar.
The charges stem from a report compiled by three inspectors from the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), which details how these judicial figures allegedly used their positions to protect Oktar and his associates. The 680-page report, based on interviews with 140 individuals ranging from court clerks to informants, also highlighted unusual increases in wealth among the accused judges and prosecutors during the period in question. Investigations revealed extensive telephone communications between the defendants and Oktar’s associates during the legal proceedings.
Salihoğlu and Parlar are specifically implicated in the suppression of cases against Oktar’s network, with accusations that they intentionally dismissed evidence and closed investigations that could have led to convictions. The report indicates that court decisions were written outside the courtroom and that several of these rulings, including one that dismissed the shooting at police officers during an operation against Oktar’s group as an “accidental discharge,” were made without proper legal procedures.
The investigation also uncovered significant financial irregularities, with the accused reportedly amassing wealth far beyond their official salaries during the trial period. It is alleged that these gains were tied to their efforts to influence judicial decisions in favor of Oktar’s organization. This led to the escape of several suspects who were released from custody, some of whom fled abroad.
The trial is set to commence in the coming days, with seven individuals identified as victims of Oktar’s organization expected to testify as plaintiffs. The proceedings are expected to shed further light on the extent of judicial corruption tied to the Oktar case and could lead to significant repercussions within Turkey’s judiciary.
This trial follows a July 2024 ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals that upheld Oktar’s conviction and an 8,658-year prison sentence. The court also ordered the confiscation of assets worth approximately 5 billion lira, including luxury vehicles, real estate and cash, all alleged to have been acquired through criminal activities orchestrated by Oktar and his associates.
Turkey has been grappling with allegations of corruption within its judicial system for some time.
Lasty year İstanbul’s then-chief public prosecutor İsmail Uçar came forward with a letter sent to the HSK exposing corruption in the country’s judicial system.
Turkey’s judiciary was already criticized by international bodies and rights groups for taking orders from the executive branch prior to the allegations of corruption.
Turkey disbarred more than 4,000 judges and prosecutors immediately after an abortive coup in July 2016 over alleged ties to the faith-based Gülen movement, which it accused of orchestrating the attempted putsch. The movement denies any involvement.
The mass disbarment of members of the judiciary is believed by many to have had a chilling effect on the entire justice system, intimidating the remaining judges and prosecutors into doing the government’s bidding by launching politically motivated investigations into critics.
Turkey was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the rule of law index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) in October, in a sign of the deteriorating rule of law in the country.