Turkey’s state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) has announced the sale of Maydonoz Döner, one of the country’s largest fast-food chains, for a base price of 2.8 billion Turkish lira (about $68 million), continuing a controversial policy of liquidating companies seized over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement.
The charges stem from an investigation that was made public through a police operation in February and continued in May and June with a new wave of detentions, targeting people allegedly using the Maydonoz Döner chain to finance the Gülen movement, inspired by the views of the late Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
Over the last decade Gülen, who died at the age of 83 in the US last October, and his movement, which in the past had been praised by the Turkish government for their activities in education and inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, have faced various accusations from the government, including masterminding corruption investigations in 2013 and a coup attempt in July 2016.
The Turkish government labeled Gülen and his movement “terrorists” in May 2016.
Gülen and his followers strongly denied any involvement in the coup or any terrorist activity but have been the subject of a harsh crackdown for a decade, which intensified in the aftermath of the abortive putsch.
The tender, published Friday in the Official Gazette, covers the “Maydonoz Döner Group Commercial and Economic Integrity,” which includes 390 Maydonoz Döner restaurants across Turkey as well as the My Fried Chicken franchise brand. Assets of several related firms — Somca Gıda, Altı G Gıda, Sümer Entegre Et, Enerca Gıda and Deta Ambalaj — are being sold together as one package.
Interested buyers must deposit 280.1 million lira to take part in the bidding. The process will begin with sealed offers, followed by an auction among shortlisted candidates. If necessary, the TMSF said it may also hold negotiations before finalizing the sale.
Maydonoz Döner, founded in 2018 by businessman Ömer Şeyhin, rapidly grew into a nationwide fast-food brand with hundreds of outlets in Turkey and abroad.
The move comes amid a broader sell-off of assets confiscated from business groups accused of ties to the Gülen movement.
Since 2016, Turkish authorities have seized hundreds of companies across multiple sectors, from furniture to energy. According to official figures cited by state media in July, 784 companies with assets worth 42.3 billion lira (around $14 billion at 2016 exchange rates) have been transferred to TMSF trusteeship.
The TMSF has previously sold major assets owned by Boydak Holding seized over alleged Gülen links, including the furniture giant Bellona for 8.1 billion lira in June, and plans to auction İstikbal Mobilya, another popular furniture brand, for 12.5 billion lira on September 30. Rights groups argue the asset seizures amount to politically motivated expropriations targeting opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.