Authorities on Thursday announced that the body of former Minister of Transportation Arif Ahmet Denizolgun was disinterred last month over suspicion of foul play.
Denizolgun, who died in Istanbul in 2016 at the age of 60 from brain haemorrhage, was reportedly killed by his rivals. His nephew Fatih Süleyman Denizolgun pointed fingers at Alihan Kuriş in his death. Denizolgun was the leader of a religious movement known as “Süleymancılar.” The group’s current leader, Kuriş, was arrested last month on charges of corruption, along with other top figures of the group.
Denizolgun’s nephew Fatih Denizolgun long claimed that his uncle was killed by people close to Kuriş who sought to lead the movement inspired by Denizolgun’s ancestor Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, a renowned Islamic scholar of the 20th century.
Authorities announced that findings from the disinterment were sent to the Forensic Medicine Institute for further examination. Prosecutors tasked with organized crime investigations have launched the probe into allegations of foul play in 2016, but Denizolgun’s nephew has claimed that the case was covered up.
In a statement issued on Aug. 18, the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said a complaint and allegations had been filed claiming that Denizolgun’s death in September 2016 and the autopsy conducted at the time were suspicious.
The statement said an order had been issued to exhume the grave in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure to conduct a renewed examination to determine the actual cause of the deceased’s death.
In line with the order, the deputy chief public prosecutor, a public prosecutor, experts from the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute and crime scene investigation teams arrived at Denizolgun’s grave on Aug. 19. Following the exhumation, pieces of Denizolgun’s remains were taken from the grave and transported to the Forensic Medicine Institute for examination. The samples removed from the grave were returned to the grave on Aug. 20 after the procedures were completed.
In a statement issued on Aug. 26, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said a finding of “suspicious death” had been made during the examination of Denizolgun’s remains and that the investigation into suspects, including Alihan Kuriş, on charges of “murder” was continuing.
