Turkey aims to destroy FETO by targeting its finances

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish government aims to destroy Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) by targeting its finances through companies linked to it, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Friday.

His remarks came after police launched operations against leading business people and companies suspected of supporting FETO on Wednesday and Thursday.

In an interview with state-owned TRT Haber, Simsek said: "The intent of the government was not to harm these companies and their businesses during the investigations," adding the emphasis was on the principle of placing individual criminal responsibility.

Officers had raided several company headquarters, including the Akfa Holding and the A101 supermarket chain in Istanbul. Among those detained were Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists Chair Rizanur Meral, Aydinli Group Chair Omer Faruk Kavurmaci, and Faruk and Nejat Gulluoglu, owners of the well-known Gulluoglu Baklava chain.

"Our purpose is not to destroy these assets [corporations], but to destroy terrorism and its source of finances," the deputy premier, who is responsible for the country's economy, said.

"The companies and people, who helped this terrorist organization in money laundering and financed that network, are criminals. The justice mechanism, now, is operating against them," he added.

He also said the December 2013 probe had been a milestone to realize the aims of FETO. Pro-FETO prosecutors and police officers had plotted to overthrow Turkey’s elected government in the so-called graft probe against top officials.

Simsek said those not linked to FETO in anyway should “feel comfortable."

"What we are doing is just cutting the source of finance of terrorists. The number of these criminals would not exceed a thousand. So, our citizens, business people, entrepreneurs, banks can continue their operations as they wish," he said.

He said the state of emergency had been imposed in the country only to deal with the infiltration of FETO members into state-run institutions, who wanted to destroy the country's democracy and intended to “bury this country's future into the darkness."

He noted that terrorists were continuing to make propaganda against Turkey. "These terrorists are still making black propaganda against Turkey in Europe with the money they had collected from Turkish citizens by force [under the name of donation] for years," he said.

The deputy premier underscored the solid foundations of the Turkish economy. "The perception of Turkey overseas has improved," he said.

Simsek said Turkey's investor roadshow would also start again in the coming days, beginning with Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and other Asia-Pacific countries.