Turkey will soon formally apply for the extradition of the shady, retired imam Fethullah Gülen from the United States after the chief Prosecutor's Office readied the file on his and his followers' illegal activities. They are blamed for two coup attempts in 2013. The file was presented to the Justice Ministry, which in turn will use it for an extradition request from the United States.
Gülen has lived in the United States since he migrated there health reasons in 1999, and he lives resides in a large compound in Pennsylvania.
He is accused of running the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ), a complex group consisted of his followers who infiltrated the judiciary, bureaucracy, law enforcement and military. Apart from coup attempts, the FETÖ is accused of fraud, money laundering, illegal wiretapping, blackmail and imprisoning hundreds of people with false evidence. He and dozens of prominent Gülenists face life sentences on terrorism charges.
Gülen and his followers are already standing trial in separate cases, but Gülen, 75, refuses to testify in Turkish courts or return to Turkey.
The former imam also faces lawsuits brought by Ankara in the United States after Turkey hired a law firm for the legal process in that country.
The United States is among the favorite locations of Gülenists where they run several charter school chains, taxpayer-funded schools that attracted an FBI probe following allegations of fraud concerning federal grants. Along with Gülen, several well-known figures linked to the group live in the United States to avoid being charged in ongoing investigations against the FETÖ in Turkey.
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