‘Parallel’ inspection launched against prominent Jewish-Turkish businessman İshak Alaton

İshak Alaton. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
İshak Alaton. (Photo: Today's Zaman)


Date posted: September 21, 2015

The Bureau for Crimes against the Constitutional Order of the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an inspection of the companies run by Alarko Holding’s executive board chairman and prominent Jewish Turkish businessman İshak Alaton on charges of supporting the so-called “parallel state,” a daily reported on Tuesday.

The term “parallel state” or “structure” is generally used by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his associates in the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to refer to the Gülen movement, or Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Erdoğan began using the phrase after a corruption scandal involving members of his family and inner circle within the AK Party went public on Dec. 17, 2013. He claims members of a “parallel structure” within the state organized the graft probe in an effort to overthrow the AK Party government.

The Sözcü daily’s report revealed that the bureau launched the inspection into Alaton after Doğan Kasadolu, a former senior executive at Alarko Holding, filed a criminal complaint against him, alleging that he admits his involvement in the parallel state in a biography titled “Lüzumsuz Adam” (Non-essential Man), written by Mehmet Gündem in 2013.

According to Sözcü, the inspection, which began a year ago and has only now been revealed, might lead to an investigation, as the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office did not issue an accompanying verdict of non-prosecution.

Kasadolu claims Alaton expresses support in the book for Turkish schools established abroad by educators inspired by the Gülen movement, in a chapter where Alaton tells the story of the establishment of a school in Moscow and relates his response to a question asked by Russian officials about the Gülen movement and schools.

The Gülen movement, which deals mainly in education and interfaith dialogue in Turkey and around the world, was known to once be supportive of the AK Party, especially during its first two terms, as the ruling party carefully guided the country from the grip of military tutelage and nudged it toward increasingly democratic rule and the values of the European Union. However, ties between the AK Party and the civil society organization were all but destroyed after the December 2013 graft investigation. Many believe Erdoğan is targeting the Gülen movement by accusing it of forming a “parallel structure” to shift focus away from the graft allegations.

Kasadolu claims Garih murder investigation obstructed by Alaton, contradicting earlier remarks

The Sözcü story also reveals that Alaton might also be charged with obstructing the investigation into the 2001 murder of Üzeyir Garih, the founder of Alarko Holding. According to Kasadolu, Alaton, with help from members of the “parallel state” in the judiciary, prevented prosecutors from thoroughly investigating the murder.

Garih was found murdered in a Muslim cemetery in İstanbul’s Eyüp district in August 2001. Yener Yermez, the main suspect, was sentenced to life without parole in 2003 by the Eyüp 2nd High Criminal Court. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeals in October of the same year, but the organization that planned the murder was never exposed.

However, during an interview with the Yeni Şafak daily in 2008, Kasadolu claimed the Ergenekon clandestine network may have carried out the murder, and was ready to testify as a witness when the network was on trial. “On the day of the murder, individuals in police uniforms kidnapped Garih’s grandson and threatened the family, warning it not to dig too far into the assassination,” he said during the interview.

Members of Ergenekon were nested within the state hierarchy and tried for murders and destroying the public order ultimately aimed at overthrowing the government. In July 2008, the Garih murder was included in the Ergenekon indictment. Nearly 300 defendants in the Ergenekon trial, including former army officers and a former chief of General Staff, were convicted by a court in August 2014 and handed down heavy sentences, including life imprisonment. However, all convicted were acquitted by another court in 2014.

Source: Today's Zaman


Related News

Executives of TUSKON call on Ghana GCCI

Turkey is to strengthen her business relationship with Ghana and considers the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the conduit. This was disclosed by the Executives of the key Turkish business group, the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) when they paid a courtesy call on the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on 10th September, 2014.

Fethullah Gülen’s teachings discussed at conference in Algeria

AYTEN ÇIFTÇI, ALGERIA The ideas, worldview and teachings of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar known for his promotion of mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures, were discussed at a conference on Wednesday hosted by the Faculty of Islamic Sciences of the University of Algiers. The conference, titled “Perception of Civilization in the light of […]

Kimse Yok Mu launches large-scale aid campaign for Syrian refugees

İPEK ÜZÜM, İSTANBUL Turkish aid organizations have launched a joint large-scale aid campaign to provide food and shelter from the cold to Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey to escape from the intensifying violence in their country. Syrian refugees in Turkey, whose number has reached 132,920 according to a written statement recently released by the […]

PBS airs story on Gülen movement

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) program Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly featured a story on the Gülen movement on Friday, quoting well-respected American observers, as well as the movement’s members and admirers. The 10-minute-long story by PBS correspondent Luck Severson gave information on the movement, which is a group of volunteers engaged in interfaith and intercultural dialogue […]

Kyrgyz Culture Minister: Turkish schools are of golden value to us

Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Sultan Rayev attended the Turkish Language Olympics’ eliminations in his country. Rayev in his statements said, “Theses schools are of golden value to us. In fact, even more than that as gold mines will be exhausted sooner or later but knowledge won’t.”

Report: White House denies remarks attributed to Obama about Gülen

White House has reportedly denied remarks attributed to US President Barack Obama about Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, describing them as “not accurate.” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday during a live TV interview that Obama received “the message” about his complaint of Gülen residing in the US.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

In new incursion, Turkey orchestrates rushed extraditions from Kosovo

University entrance exam results announced, top scorers from Gülen-affiliated schools

Afghan official lauds Turkey’s education drive

Turkish schools abroad: a global phenomenon

Pakistani students compete to advance to final of Turkish Olympiads

‘Islam and I’

Turkish American Society of Ohio Seeks to Foster Friendship and Understanding Between Cultures

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News