AK Party deputy chair Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya asked Erdogan to relieve her of all posts after opposition politician Zeynel Emre alleged she and her husband invested 163 million lira, mostly in Ozata Denizcilik shares, and later received about 2.17 billion lira from sales.
Emre said the timing raised questions. Ozata Denizcilik shares climbed from around 220 lira at the start of April to 4,980 lira on Sept. 15. On Sept. 16, suspected manipulation in thinly traded stocks triggered a liquidity crisis in Turkey’s investment-fund industry and sent share prices tumbling.
Kaya said she was taking political responsibility while the allegations were examined, but gave no further details. Authorities moved to support financial stability after some funds failed to meet withdrawal requests from almost half a million investors. Ozata chairman Ozdemir Ataseven and vice chairman Gokhan Ataseven were jailed pending trial as part of the ongoing funds-crisis investigation.
