Opposition claims ex-minister and husband profited from pre-crisis shipbuilder share sales

During a New Party gathering in Istanbul, lawmaker Zeynel Emre alleged that former family and social policies minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya and her husband İlyas Kaya bought shares in shipbuilder Özata Denizcilik in April for 63.4 million lira and 99.7 million lira respectively, then sold them in September for 1.34 billion lira and 826 million lira. Emre suggested the timing, just before the September 16 fund-crisis spill into the stock market, implied possible advance warning.

The claim follows the Capital Markets Board’s announcement of criminal complaints against 11 people for market-manipulation involving Özata shares, though the couple were not among those named. The board also imposed two-year trading bans on the accused and suspended licenses for five. Meanwhile, Özata disclosed that its chairman Özdemir Ataseven and deputy chairman Gökhan Ataseven were detained pending trial, a precautionary measure without a finding of guilt. The episode adds to broader accusations that some investors received early notice of the fund-freeze that began in mid-September.