04.11.2026 17:40
Within the scope of the fund investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, former Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, her husband İlyas Kaya, and former Capital Markets Board (SPK) Chairman İbrahim Ömer Gönül were summoned to testify as suspects. The Kaya couple and Gönül had also previously testified as suspects within the scope of the investigation.
A new step has been taken in the investigation known publicly as the “fund investigation.” Within the scope of the investigation, three individuals whose statements had previously been taken were summoned to the prosecutor's office again.
THEY WILL TESTIFY TOMORROW AT 11:00 A.M.
According to a report by Burak Doğan, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office summoned Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, İlyas Kaya, and İbrahim Ömer Gönül through the police to testify as suspects tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
THE KAYA COUPLE MADE HEADLINES OVER ÖZATA DENİZCİLİK SHARES
The names of Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya and her husband, İlyas Kaya, had come to the agenda with transactions in Özata Denizcilik shares linked to the Tera fund at the center of the fund investigation. New Party Spokesperson Zeynel Emre made allegations about the Kaya couple on September 26. According to the allegation, the couple invested a total of 163 million 46 thousand lira in Özata Denizcilik shares and, about 5 months later, obtained approximately 2 billion 170 million lira in income from the sale of the shares.
SHE FIRST RESIGNED, THEN WAS EXPELLED FROM THE PARTY
After the allegations, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya announced on the evening of September 26 that she had resigned from all her duties in the party, foremost among them her position as AK Party Deputy Chairman. On September 29, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sent a letter to the relevant institutions to freeze all assets of the Kaya couple. The couple applied under the voluntary payment method announced by SPK and deposited the portion of the gain they obtained, excluding the principal, into TMSF's refund account.
THEY HAD ALSO TESTIFIED BEFORE
The Kaya couple testified as suspects at the Istanbul Courthouse on October 7. During the statement process, which lasted about 1 hour, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya said she bought about 250 thousand lots of Özata Denizcilik shares in April 2026 and sold some of the shares in August and the rest in September. İlyas Kaya stated that during the same period he bought about 150 thousand lots of shares and similarly made sales in August and September.
On the same day, AK Party Secretary General Eyyüp Kadir İnan announced that the necessary procedures had been carried out in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's instructions and that Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya was no longer a member of the party.
AUTHORIZATION FOR AN INVESTIGATION HAD BEEN GRANTED REGARDING THE FORMER SPK CHAIRMAN
Another person called to testify in the investigation, former SPK Chairman İbrahim Ömer Gönül, had also previously testified as a suspect on September 30. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office applied to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance for authorization to investigate Gönül on the charge of “abuse of office.”
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office examined Gönül's duties and responsibilities regarding the supervision of investment funds during his term as SPK Chairman, and Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek granted authorization for the investigation.
Appointed as Chairman of the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority (KGK) in May 2026, Gönül was removed from this post by a presidential decree published on October 20.
WHO IS İBRAHİM ÖMER GÖNÜL?
İbrahim Ömer Gönül was born in Ankara in 1973. Gönül, the son of former Minister of National Defense Vecdi Gönül, graduated from the Department of Economics at Bilkent University. Gönül, who began his career in the banking sector and continued it at SPK starting in 2004, was appointed SPK Deputy Chairman in 2014 and SPK Chairman on April 18, 2022.
WHO IS FATMA BETÜL SAYAN KAYA?
Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya served as Minister of Family and Social Policies between 2016 and 2018. Kaya, who served two terms as an AK Party Istanbul MP between 2015 and 2023, served as AK Party Deputy Chairman after her parliamentary term. Kaya is married to İlyas Kaya and is a mother of two children.