19.08.2026 11:51
Striking details have emerged in the 'Kuytulcular' investigation, in which Furkan Foundation President Alparslan Kuytul and his wife were detained. According to the prosecutor's office's findings, people who were 'custodian members' were forced to establish companies in their own names, allow their bank accounts to be used, and transfer their assets to designated individuals; it was alleged that although the properties ostensibly belonged to different people, the actual control was held by the organization's leaders.
Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office shared the details of the extensive investigation conducted against the structure led by Alparslan Kuytul, known in the public as “Kuytulists.” In operations carried out at 49 addresses across 5 provinces, legal proceedings were initiated against 32 suspects, including the Founder and President of the Foundation, Alparslan Kuytul, and his wife, emphasizing that money collected by exploiting religious feelings was laundered through companies.
SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION IN 5 PROVINCES AND
According to the information note shared by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; 32 suspects were identified as a result of CIMER applications, victim statements, financial analyses, and examination of digital materials. On August 19, 2026, simultaneous raids were carried out at a total of 49 addresses in Niğde, Elazığ, Osmaniye, and Gaziantep, centered in Adana.
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS
The charges against the suspects were listed as follows:
- Establishing and Managing an Organization for the Purpose of Committing Crimes
- Being a Member of the Established Organization
- Laundering of Property Values Arising from Crime
- Qualified Fraud and Forgery of Official Documents
- Violation of the Tax Procedure Law
While the apprehension of the suspects and seizure procedures continue within the scope of the operation, the appointment of a management trustee was requested for the companies considered to be used in the financial activities of the organization.
RESTRUCTURED AFTER 2018
In the statement, it was noted that similar legal actions were taken against the group in 2018, but after this date, the structure maintained its leader-centered hierarchical organization and reorganized through different individuals and commercial enterprises.
DETAIL OF “TRUSTEE MEMBERS”
According to the statements of victims and witnesses, it was stated that an absolute leadership understanding prevailed within the organization and the leader's instructions were presented as a “religious obligation.”
Regarding the organization's financing model; it was determined that money collected under names such as “infaq (almsgiving), qurban (sacrifice) donations, Ramadan food parcels, zakat, fitrah (alms), student aid” was kept unregistered. It was found that these collected revenues were laundered by being circulated through individuals connected to the organization and specially established commercial enterprises. It was revealed that organization members were forced to establish companies in their own names, provide the use of bank accounts, and transfer their assets to people designated by the organization; properties were nominally under different individuals' names but in fact under the control of the organization's executives.
ACCESS BLOCK TO 349 ACCOUNTS
It was determined that individuals who left the structure, criticized its activities, or made statements to judicial authorities were humiliated in public, targeted through their private lives, and subjected to systematic pressure via social media. Accordingly, access was blocked to 349 different social media accounts that carried out propaganda and targeted dissidents.
It was also reminded that the public case filed regarding the allegations that in 2022, an organization member was deprived of his liberty, forced to transfer his assets, and forced to record a video continues.
CLEAR MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: THE TARGET IS NOT BELIEF, BUT CRIMINAL ACTS
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office underlined that the judicial process has nothing to do with freedom of thought and belief and made the following statement:
“The subject of the investigation is the concrete criminal acts allegedly carried out under the guise of a religious group and volunteer activities, the money considered to have been collected by exploiting individuals' religious and humanitarian feelings, the resulting grievances, and the laundering of the obtained revenues through commercial structures. No individual has been made a subject of the investigation due to their belief or thought.”
CALL TO VICTIMS: “APPLY WITHOUT FEAR”
At the end of the information note, a call was made to victims who state that they were deceived under the name of donations, forced to transfer their assets, or subjected to pressure or threats due to the activities of the structure. While it was stated that citizens in this situation could apply without hesitation to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office or law enforcement, it was emphasized that any act of pressure targeting those who report would also be investigated separately and meticulously.