Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay has said the state-run Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) has appointed trustees to 1004 companies across Turkey’s 42 provinces as of Oct.25 over their alleged links to the Gülen movement under a crackdown that began following a coup attempt in July 2016, Turkish media reports said on Wednesday.
Speaking in the Turkish Parliament about the budget of the presidency, Oktay said the size of assets of the seized companies as of Sept.30 is TL55.74 billion while their total turnover is TL21.95 billion, total own resources is TL21.05 billion and period income is TL1.53 billion.
The government has seized companies including Koza, Boydak, Dumankaya, Akfa, Orkide, Sesli and Naksan that were among the largest 500 firms of Turkey.
The seized companies were conducting business in every aspect of trade including mining, gasoline distribution, automotives, home textiles, jewelry, pharmacies, hardware, home decor and information technologies.
The Turkish government has been confiscating the private property of non-loyalist businesspeople without due process on unsubstantiated charges of terrorist links.
The companies are alleged to be connected to the faith-based Gülen movement, with the government coining the term “FETÖ” to designate the movement as a terrorist organization despite the lack of any court verdict to that effect.
The government accuses the movement of masterminding the failed coup attempt on July 15 even though the latter denies involvement, demanding credible evidence.
The government’s crackdown against the movement, however, is not limited to the period following the coup attempt since the managements of many organizations affiliated with the movement have already been seized by the TMSF over the course of the past four years.
