Prosecutors in İstanbul have filed an indictment seeking lengthy prison sentences for five executives of defense contractor the Assan Group, months after the government seized control of companies under its umbrella in an “espionage” investigation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The indictment, submitted to the İstanbul 28th High Criminal Court, calls for sentences ranging from 10 to 36 years in prison. Four of the defendants remain in pretrial detention.
Among those named is Assan owner Emin Öner, who faces charges of membership in a terrorist organization due to his alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement — which Ankara designates as a terrorist organization but is not recognized as such internationally— as well as accusations of unlawfully obtaining, misusing and concealing documents related to state security.
Prosecutors are seeking between 17 years, six months and 36 years in prison for Öner.
The company’s general manager, Gürcan Okumuş, along with executives Ali Avcı, İsmet Sayhan and Mesut Ateş, are each charged with offenses involving the alleged misuse of state security documents. Prosecutors are seeking between 10 and 21 years in prison for each of them.
The case began in August 2025, when the Turkish government appointed Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) as trustee over 10 companies operating under the Assan Group, citing alleged links to the Gülen movement and military espionage activities.
Öner and Okumuş were arrested pending trial, along with two other managers.
Assan has denied wrongdoing, saying the materials at the center of the investigation were internal production and delivery schedules prepared at the request of the Turkish army and remain in the company’s records.
The probe has expanded beyond the company itself. İsmet Sayhan, a former chair of the state-run Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), was also jailed in connection with accusations of unlawfully obtaining and misusing documents tied to state security.
MKE is a state-run manufacturer that produces ammunition, artillery and other materiel for the Turkish Armed Forces.
Turkish media had reported claims that Turkish Armed Forces procurement plans were leaked to Assan.
Assan, founded in 1985, is a major Turkish defense contractor producing ammunition and aircraft bombs for domestic and international buyers. The company has expanded its public profile in recent years, appearing at major defense fairs in Abu Dhabi and İstanbul.
The indictment marks the next stage in a case that has drawn attention as part of Turkey’s broader post-2016 crackdown, in which hundreds of companies have been transferred to state trusteeship over alleged ties to the Gülen movement.
The Gülen movement, inspired by the views of the late Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, is renowned worldwide for its contributions to education, social welfare and interfaith dialogue.
The Turkish government, however, labeled the group as a “terrorist organization” in May 2016, a designation not recognized by the United States, the European Union or major international bodies.
The government accuses the group of orchestrating a failed coup the same year, a claim the movement strongly denies.
The court is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to accept the indictment and set a trial date.