Turkey AK Party Deputy Chair Resigns Amid Trading Allegations

Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, AK Party deputy chair for social policies and former family minister, asked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan late Saturday to relieve her of all her duties. In a statement on X she said she was taking political responsibility so her post would not become a subject of debate and the inquiry could proceed independently. "With this understanding, for the sake of the process and so that the allegations can be clarified in all aspects, I have asked our Chairman to relieve me of all the duties I carry out," Kaya wrote. She did not address the specific claims. Yeni Party spokesperson Zeynel Emre alleged that Kaya and her husband Ilyas Kaya invested a combined 163 million lira mainly in Ozata Denizcilik in April and later received about 2.17 billion lira from selling the shares. Ozata shares rose from about 220 lira in early April to 4,980 lira on Sept. 15 before a selloff began Sept. 16 amid suspected manipulation. Regulators placed all 131 funds into liquidation, affecting more than 455,000 investors; Ozata's chairman and vice chairman were jailed pending trial. AK Party spokesperson Omer Celik said nothing will remain in the dark and those who did wrong will be held accountable, while stating there is no systemic risk. Whether the couple's trades involved wrongdoing remains under investigation.