A Turkish prosecutor has demanded 15 years in prison for Sermet Şükür, the father of famous ex-footballer Hakan Şükür, on charges of links to the faith-based Gülen movement, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The elder Şükür was detained on Aug. 12, 2016 in Sakarya province and released pending trial on Nov. 25, 2016. The court also imposed a travel ban.
Şükür, a businessman in the construction sector, was accused of supporting the movement financially.
The first hearing in the trial will be held on Feb. 5.
Hakan Şükür, one of Turkey’s most successful football players and a former deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has been living in self-exile in the US because of his affiliation with the Gülen movement.
He moved to the US before a coup attempt in Turkey in 2016.
On Aug. 16, 2016 the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a detention warrant for the younger Şükür over Gülen links.
The Turkish government accuses the movement of orchestrating the failed coup, although it strongly denied any involvement.