Turkish police on Tuesday detained 38 people in a third series of raids in an investigation into alleged financial crimes linked to a religious community, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced.
The community is commonly known as the Süleymancılar, while its members call it the Süleymanlılar.
Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 54 people and said two were abroad, one was already in prison and that police were still seeking 13 individuals.
Alihan Kuriş, who was detained in the first raid against the group and was later jailed, is accused of leading a network that laundered criminal proceeds, defrauded public institutions and broke Turkey’s Tax Procedure Law, according to prosecutors.
The office also asked a court to put 11 companies and four associations tied to the group under court-appointed trustees.
The latest raids followed a first operation on August 13 in 17 provinces.
Police searched 43 locations linked to individuals and 80 sites used by 33 companies after prosecutors issued warrants for 49 people.
A court later jailed Kuriş and 31 others pending trial and put six people under house arrest.
Police detained 12 more people in İstanbul, Konya, Mersin and Muğla during a second wave on Saturday, while one remained at large.
Kuriş has denied leading a criminal group or taking part in money laundering or fraud.
The Süleymanlılar trace their roots to followers of Islamic scholar Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan and run Quran courses, student dormitories and mosques in Turkey and Europe.
The raids followed years of calls from government allies for action against the group, whose main body has not backed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
