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Mehmet Kemal AÄŸar (born on 30 October 1951) is a Turkish former police chief,
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
, government minister and leader of the Democratic Party. He was a police officer who rose to
General Director A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
of the General Directorate of Security (effectively national police chief), serving from 1993 to 1995, before entering parliament and serving as a government minister in 1996. Under his reign a close relationship developed between the
deep state in Turkey In Turkey, a political conspiracy theory posits the existence of a deep state (), a group of influential anti-democratic coalitions inside the Turkish political structure, composed of high-level elements within the intelligence services (domest ...
, the Grey Wolves, and the
Turkish mafia Turkish mafia () is the general term for criminal organizations based in Turkey and/or composed of current or former Turkish citizens. Crime groups with origins in Turkey are active throughout Western Europe (where a strong Turkish immigrant comm ...
. It took 15 years until he was tried and sentenced for criminal activities relating to the 1996
Susurluk scandal The Susurluk scandal () or Susurluk accident (), was a 1996 political scandal in Turkey that exposed a close relationship between the Turkish government, the ultra-nationalistic paramilitary Grey Wolves (organization), Grey Wolves organization an ...
; he was incarcerated in April 2012 but already released on probation in April 2013. From 2018-2021 he managed the luxury marina "Yalikavak Marina" near
Bodrum Bodrum () is a town and district of MuÄŸla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
, but was forced to resign after mafia boss Sedat Peker blew the whistle with his 2021 videos.


Background and personal life

Mehmet Ağar was born on October 30, 1951, at the state president's official residence Çankaya Köşkü in Ankara, where his father was serving as security. During his youth, he toured several places across the country due to his father's position as police chief. He began his high school education in Ankara, continued in
Haydarpaşa Haydarpaşa is a locality within the Kadıköy and Üsküdar districts on the Asian part of Istanbul, Turkey. Haydarpaşa is named after Ottoman Vizier Haydar Pasha. The place, on the coast of Sea of Marmara, borders to Harem in the northwest and ...
High School in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
finishing in 1968. He studied finance in the School of Political Science at the University of Ankara on scholarship from the Turkish General Directorate of Security. Graduated in 1972, Mehmet AÄŸar became a police officer. Mehmet AÄŸar, married in 1974 Emel AÄŸar. The couple has a son Tolga and a daughter Yasemin.


Career

He later served as a police inspector in the security force for the state president. In 1976, AÄŸar was appointed vice district governor in
İznik İznik () is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 753 km2, and its population 44,236 (2022). The town is at the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, from which the modern name derives. The town lies in a fertile ...
and
Selçuk Selçuk is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 317 km2, and its population is 38,151 (2022). The town Selçuk is located northeast of the ancient city of Ephesus, that was once home to the Temple of Artemis, o ...
. He later became district governor in Torul and
Delice Delice is a town in Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Delice District Delice District is a district of the Kırıkkale Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town of Delice.counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
section of Istanbul Police. The next year, he was promoted to director of security in Istanbul. At the same time, he became chief of the
Counter-Guerrilla Counter-Guerrilla () is a Turkish branch of Operation Gladio, a clandestine stay-behind Anti-communism, anti-communist initiative backed by the United States as an expression of the Truman Doctrine. The founding goal of the operation was to erect ...
, a clandestine
stay-behind A stay-behind operation is one where a country places secret operatives or organizations in its own territory, for use in case of a later enemy occupation. The stay-behind operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement, and act as ...
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
initiative backed by
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
and the United States. Mehmet AÄŸar served between 1984 and 1988 as the vice police chief of Istanbul for the General Directorate of Security (Turkish National Police). AÄŸar featured in
Mehmet Eymür Mehmet Eymür (5 September 1943 – 13 January 2024) was a Turkish intelligence official. In 1995–1996 he led the counter-terrorism department of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which he joined as a student in 1965 as a "pursuit of ...
's controversial ''1987
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
Report'' that targeted former high ranking civil servants and politicians such as Ağar, Nevzat Ayaz and Ünal Erkan. In 1988, he became police chief of Ankara and in 1990 Istanbul Chief of Police. Following a brief service as governor of the police province of
Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
between 1992 and 1993, he was appointed in July 1993 director general of the General Directorate of Security - in effect the national police chief. Under his leadership the Police Special Forces ('' Özel Harekat Dairesi'') within the General Directorate of Security was run by İbrahim Şahin; Ağar supported its co-operation with the
Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
against the
Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
PKK in rural areas. He resigned from the police after entering parliament in 1995.


Political career

AÄŸar entered politics as deputy of
Elazığ Elazığ () is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and the administrative centre of Elazığ Province and Elazığ District. Founded in and around the former city of Harput, it is located in the uppermost Euphrates valley. The plai ...
from the True Path Party (DYP) following the general elections 1995. He was appointed the Minister of Justice in 1996. In the next government's coalition cabinet he served as the Minister of the Interior. He resigned from this post on November 8, 1996, protesting Prime Minister
Necmettin Erbakan Necmettin Erbakan (29 October 1926 – 27 February 2011) was a Turkish politician and political theorist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was la ...
's official visit to
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
. At the 1999 general elections, Ağar run for a seat in the parliament as independent deputy from Elazığ, and received the highest number of votes an independent candidate ever achieved. The True Path Party (DYP) lost the 2002 parliamentary elections and
Tansu Çiller Tansu Çiller (; born 24 May 1946) is a Turkish academic, economist, and politician who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She was Turkey's first and only female prime minister. As the leader of the True Path Party ...
resigned as leader of the party and retired from politics. Mehmet Ağar was the only representative of the party elected in the 2002 election from Elazığ and entered the
Turkish Grand National Assembly The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...
. After Çiller's resignation, Ağar was elected as the new president of the True Path Party (DYP). On May 5, 2007, it was announced that DYP and the Motherland Party (ANAP) would merge to form the Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti). For that occasion, DYP renamed itself (based on the previous party of the same name), and it was planned that ANAP would join the newly founded DP. Following the 22 July 2007 election Ağar resigned from his position as the leader of DP .


Susurluk scandal, 1996

With the Susurluk scandal of 1996, his political career ended for some time when it turned out he had stayed in a hotel with the victims of the
Susurluk car crash The Susurluk car crash was a car crash that took place on 3 November 1996 in the small town of Susurluk, in Turkey's Balıkesir Province. It resulted in the deaths of three of the passengers: Abdullah Çatlı, a former ultra-rightist militant wa ...
immediately before the incident. He famously said "I will talk if the
deep state Deep state is a term used for (real or imagined) potential, unauthorized and often secret networks of power operating independently of a State (polity), state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agendas and goals. Although the term ori ...
wants me to" to a commission investigating the affair. He escaped justice at the time due to his
parliamentary immunity Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which politicians or other political leaders are granted full immunity from legal prosecution, both civil prosecution and criminal prosecution, in the course of the exe ...
, however, he was retried starting on February 9, 2009, at the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court. The Susurluk report contained the following information: *On 19 October 1984, when he was İstanbul Deputy Chief of Police, he held a meeting with ultra-nationalist activist Celal Adan. *On July 3, 1985, while serving as Public Order Branch Director at İstanbul Police HQ, he contacted owners of a company, İbrahim Aslan and Mahmut Şahin, who were followers of the Süleymancı sect, and gave them the files and other information about the investigation carried out against members of the Süleymancı sect, which should have been kept secret. *On September 4, 1986, ultra-nationalist activist Selim Kaptanoğlu declared that "they had been engaged in collecting of checks and vouchers; they had collected money from the Mafia bosses in the name of Alparslan Türkeş; they had given part of this money to Alpaslan Türkeş and another part to the ultra-nationalist activists in the prisons; and while doing this they had been in close contact to the Deputy Chief of Police, Mehmet Ağar." *It was determined that on December 5, 1990, he took a bribe from Kemal Kaçar of the Süleymancı sect. *He pushed for ultra-nationalists candidates to be chosen to the Police Academy in the examinations of the academy held on September 29, 1993. *He was elected Member of the Parliament from
Elazığ Elazığ () is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and the administrative centre of Elazığ Province and Elazığ District. Founded in and around the former city of Harput, it is located in the uppermost Euphrates valley. The plai ...
for True Path Party (DYP) in the
general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
held on December 24, 1995. *AÄŸar was assigned the post of Minister of Justice in the cabinet of the 53rd Government, the coalition government of Motherland Party (ANAP) and DYP in 1996. He became Minister of the Interior in the 54th Government, the coalition government of
Welfare Party The Welfare Party (, RP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal, and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, National Order Party (MNP) and National Salvation Party ...
(RP) and DYP formed in the same year; and he resigned on November 8, 1996.


Trial, 2008, Sentence 2011 and release 2013

On September 15, 2011, he was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the Susurluk scandal as the leader of a criminal organization. Following the High Court of Appeals's approval of the ruling made by the criminal court in Ankara, he was interned on April 25, 2012, in a small district prison of type K1 in
Yenipazar, Aydın Yenipazar (Turkish language, Turkish for "new market") is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 245 km2, and its population is 11,863 (2022). It is from the city of Aydın on the road to Deni ...
, which was chosen for his personal security reasons. After his sentence was reduced to three years and nine months, he was released on probation in April 2013.
Today's Zaman ''Today's Zaman'' (Zaman is Turkish for 'time' or 'age') was an English-language daily newspaper based in Turkey. Established on 17 January 2007, it was the English-language edition of the Turkish daily '' Zaman.'' ''Today's Zaman'' included dom ...
, 29 April 2013
Former minister and Susurluk convict Mehmet AÄŸar released on probation


2018-present

In 2018, Mehmet AÄŸar was appointed as manager of the luxury marina "Yalikavak Marina" near
Bodrum Bodrum () is a town and district of MuÄŸla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
. He was forced to resign after Sedat Peker blew the whistle with his 2021 videos exposing his connection to Alaattin Çakici, the "Padrone" and rival of Sedat Peker.


Books

* Sefa Kaplan (2007), ''Mehmet Ağar: Geleceği etkileyecek liderler'', Doğan Kitapçılık


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agar, Mehmet 1951 births Living people Politicians from Ankara Democrat Party (Turkey, current) politicians Ministers of the interior of Turkey Ministers of justice of Turkey Turkish police chiefs Turkish civil servants Leaders of political parties in Turkey Susurluk scandal Haydarpaşa High School alumni Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni Turkish prisoners and detainees Deputies of Elazığ Members of the 22nd Parliament of Turkey Members of the 21st Parliament of Turkey Members of the 20th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 53rd government of Turkey Members of the 54th government of Turkey