Former attorney general and judges to face trial for covering up crimes of TV preachers

Former Istanbul Prosecutor General Hadi Saliholu and several other senior judicial officials will stand trial for allegedly abusing their positions to protect the criminal network of convicted televangelist Adnan Oktar, a columnist for the daily Cumhuriyet said.

Oktar, arrested in a 2018 police sting, was convicted of multiple charges, including sexual exploitation, attempted murder and unlawful imprisonment. His case has been compared to that of Jeffrey Epstein, with Oktar portrayed as a cult leader who manipulated and exploited his followers under the guise of religious preaching.

Bar Terkolu wrote in his column on Thursday that Saliholu, along with several former judges, is now being indicted in a high-profile case in which he and others are accused of using their judicial authority to cover up Oktar’s alleged crimes. The trial, announced by the 5th Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Appeals, marks the first time such high-ranking judicial figures have been brought to trial in connection with the Oktar case.

Saliholu, who has already gained notoriety for his role in stopping corruption investigations involving the inner circle of former Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in December 2013, is accused of collaborating with the Oktar criminal organization. Other suspects include former Istanbul Regional Court judges Ahmet Mahnaolu, Derya Bayburtluolu and Reyhan Yaman, and former prosecutor Ali Parlar.

The charges are based on a report by three inspectors from the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), which detailed how these judicial figures allegedly used their positions to protect Oktar and his associates. The 680-page report, based on interviews with 140 people ranging from clerks to informants, also highlighted an unusual increase in the wealth of the accused judges and prosecutors during the period in question. Investigations uncovered numerous telephone conversations between the defendants and Oktar’s associates during the trial.

Saliholu and Parlar are particularly involved in suppressing prosecutions against the Oktars network, accused of deliberately excluding evidence and closing investigations that could have led to convictions. The report states that the judicial decisions were written outside the courtroom and that several of the decisions, including one that called the shooting of police officers during an operation against the Oktars group an “unintentional dismissal,” were made without due process.

The investigation also revealed significant financial irregularities, with the defendants accumulating wealth during the trial period that far exceeded their official salaries. These profits were allegedly linked to their attempts to influence judicial decisions in favor of the Oktars organization. This led to the escape of several defendants who were released from detention, some of whom fled abroad.

The trial is expected to begin in the coming days. Seven people identified as victims of the Oktars organization are expected to testify as plaintiffs. The trial is expected to shed light on the extent of judicial corruption related to the Oktar case and could have significant implications within the Turkish justice system.

The trial follows a July 2024 ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals, which upheld Oktar’s conviction and sentence of 8,658 years in prison. The court also ordered the confiscation of assets worth about 5 billion liras, including luxury vehicles, real estate and cash, all of which were allegedly obtained through criminal activities orchestrated by Oktar and his associates.

Turkey has long been plagued by allegations of corruption within its judicial system.

Last year, Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Smail Uar, sent a letter to the HSK, exposing corruption in the country’s judicial system.

The Turkish judiciary has already been criticized by international bodies and human rights organizations for taking orders from the executive branch, even before the corruption allegations.

Turkey dismissed more than 4,000 judges and prosecutors immediately after the failed coup in July 2016, over alleged ties to the religious Glen movement, which is accused of orchestrating the coup attempt. The movement denies any involvement.

Many believe that the mass dismissal of members of the judiciary has a chilling effect on the entire justice system, intimidating remaining judges and prosecutors into complying with government orders to launch politically motivated investigations into critics.

Turkey ranked 117th out of 142 countries on the rule of law index released in October by the World Justice Project (WJP), a sign of the deterioration of the rule of law in the country.