Ex-exam chief indicted over FETO ties

By Serdar Acil

ANKARA (AA) - An Ankara public prosecutor indicted the former head of Turkey’s central admission board for universities Monday over his links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Ali Demir, who served as chairman of the country’s Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) between 2010 and 2015, was charged with misconduct and helping members of the terror group cheat on their exams.

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara filed an indictment demanding a prison sentence of 18 and a half years for Demir.

According to the indictment, exam questions prepared by the center had been leaked through a computer program installed on the center’s computers.

Demir was arrested on April 8 in an operation against FETO.

The OSYM is the organizing body for exams for admission to several institutions including universities.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

*Writing by Burak Dag