"A person from Konya in Trump's cabinet."

13.03.2025 11:12

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Seval Öz, the sister of renowned heart surgeon Mehmet Öz, for the position of Deputy Secretary at the Department of Transportation. It is claimed that Seval Öz, a member of the Öz family originally from Konya, will be responsible for overseeing autonomous vehicle policy at the Department of Transportation.

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According to the candidacy announcement published on the website of the U.S. Congress, U.S. President Donald Trump has added another Turkish name to his team. Seval Öz, an expert in autonomous driverless vehicles, has been nominated for a newly created "deputy secretary" position at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

WHAT WILL SEVAL ÖZ'S ROLE BE?

Seval Öz's nomination was submitted to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation from the state of California. Various departments in the U.S. operate with multiple deputy secretaries. The White House has not yet disclosed Öz's full role at the Department of Transportation, but her professional background suggests she could be responsible for overseeing driverless vehicle policy at the department.

THE ÖZ FAMILY HAS KONYA ROOTS

Mehmet Öz's father, Prof. Öz, married Suna Atabay in 1959. In addition to Mehmet Öz, there are two daughters named Seval and Nazlım. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Öz was born on October 3, 1925, in the Bozkır district of Konya. He attended state-funded boarding schools and graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine in 1950 with a scholarship, later moving to the United States. Prof. Öz completed his residency at Doctor's Hospital in Cleveland and received his general surgery title in 1959. After staying in America for 54 years, he returned to Turkey.

THERE WAS A INHERITANCE DISPUTE

The Öz siblings experienced an inheritance dispute following their father's death in 2019. One of the siblings, Nazlım Öz, claimed in 2020 that her brother did not share a total monthly income of $15,000 from two properties with her. Dr. Öz also alleged that his sister forged their father's signature to gain income. Seval Öz, who has been nominated for the ministry, acted alongside her brother Mehmet Öz in these cases and filed lawsuits against their sister Nazlım. Dr. Öz and his sister Seval Öz, who lives in California, also sued Nazlım Öz, claiming that their siblings misappropriated their father's $2.9 million in funds located in the Netherlands, India, and the Cayman Islands. The properties left by their father Mustafa Öz, including a mansion in Sarıyer and numerous real estate assets and bank funds, have led to a series of lawsuits among the siblings.

MEHMET ÖZ'S CANDIDACY PROCESS

Seval Öz is the sister of Dr. Mehmet Öz, who was nominated by Trump as the head of the Health Insurance Department. The confirmation hearing for heart surgeon and former television host Öz is expected to take place on Friday, March 14, in the Senate Finance Committee. With this hearing, for the first time in history, a person who is both a Turkish and an American citizen will go through the confirmation process in the U.S. Senate.