Gülenists face prison terms over exam fraud

A prosecutor's office prepared an indictment for hundreds of suspects involved in nationwide civil servant exam fraud. Suspects include people linked to the Gülen Movement, which is accused of attempting to overthrow the government through its infiltrators in the police and judiciary.

The investigation into mass cheating in the 2010 Public Personnel Selection Exam (KPSS) came to a conclusion after four years. A 1,235-page indictment will be sent to the court looking into the case that purportedly revealed the extent of the Gülenists' alleged clout in Turkey. The prosecutor has asked for prison terms for 230 suspects including 55 held in custody ahead of trial on charges of running a criminal gang, forgery in official documents, defrauding public institutions, destroying evidence, abuse of duty and acquiring and disclosing confidential information. The charges stem from accusations that suspects supplied answers to the exam to people linked to the movement led by U.S.-based retired imam Fethullah Gülen. Gülenists had earlier faced similar accusations for supplying answers to other exams that facilitated the infiltration of fellow Gülenists in public institutions.

Prosecutor Yücel Erkman says in the indictment that Hanefi Sözen, head of a nongovernmental organization, is the leader of the gang involved in the massive fraud. Sözen, who is reportedly a close confidant of Gülen, had fled abroad while the investigation was underway.

The fraud was revealed when it was found that hundreds of participants who took the exam and scored the highest were either relatives, partners or people living in the same residences. Another indictment will be prepared for 2,663 people suspected of fraud in the exam. These batch of suspects include 616 people employed as civil servants after passing the exam.

Suspects were detained earlier this year but prime suspects including directors of prep schools and the president of a university linked to the Gülen Movement remain at large.

The indictment says tangible evidence exists to prove the fraud was an organized crime. Rather than simple cheating, defendants are accused of acquiring illegal gain by fraud in the exam, referring to salaries they are paid after their employment as civil servants.

The indictment also highlights that suspects worked in schools and companies linked to the newly coined Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ) a formal name Gülen Movement members involved in illegal activities.