A Turkish court has accepted an indictment against 26 suspects accused of financing the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), clearing the way for their first court appearance on Tuesday, judicial sources said.
The suspects were detained during coordinated operations carried out on July 15 across nine provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and Sakarya, as part of an investigation into what authorities described as the group’s current financial structure. Of the defendants, 21 remain in pretrial detention, while five are being tried without arrest.
Prosecutors allege that the owner of the HAKMAR and TATBAK supermarket chains, identified as Z.D., provided financial support to FETÖ through donations labeled as “sacrificial offerings,” “pilgrimage funds” and FETÖ’s Zaman newspaper subscriptions. The two retail chains operate nearly 800 branches nationwide, according to investigators.
Following the launch of the probe, courts appointed trustees to oversee the HAKMAR and TATBAK companies. Investigators say Z.D. used company resources to channel funds to suspected FETÖ members in Türkiye under instructions from the group’s overseas network.
Authorities also detained a former police officer, identified as C.G., who was dismissed from public service over alleged links to the group. Prosecutors say C.G. worked illegally within the HAKMAR network and traveled across several provinces distributing money to suspected FETÖ members and their relatives.
Searches conducted at Z.D.’s residence and at three company headquarters reportedly uncovered documents and materials alleged to be linked to the group’s financial network. Investigators also said the HAKMAR headquarters in Istanbul’s Sancaktepe district contained multiple secured and coded doors consistent with what they described as the group’s organizational practices, and that meetings were held in those areas.
The indictment further alleges that individuals with prior records related to FETÖ membership or sympathies were employed within the company structure.
The case will be heard by Istanbul’s 14th High Criminal Court. Turkish authorities have repeatedly said that dismantling FETÖ’s financial networks remains a priority as part of ongoing efforts to curb the group’s activities inside the country.
FETÖ is behind the defeated coup attempt, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 were wounded. The attempt was plotted and carried out by FETÖ.
Along with the 2016 coup attempt, FETÖ is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Türkiye has targeted the terrorist group's active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016. However, the group maintains a vast network, including infiltrators suspected of still operating within Turkish institutions.
FETÖ backers in army ranks and civil institutions have disguised their loyalty, as operations and investigations have indicated since the 2016 coup attempt. FETÖ is implicated in a string of cases related to its alleged plots to imprison its critics, money laundering, fraud and forgery.
The terrorist group faces operations almost daily as investigators still try to unravel its massive network of infiltrators everywhere. In 2024 alone, police apprehended hundreds of FETÖ suspects across the country, including fugitives on western borders trying to flee to Europe.
