‘God’s’ $1 million mansion…

I am going to talk about someone whose name we remember for now, but whom we will likely ask “Wait, who was that again?” when we hear it in two years.

About Sinan Oğan…

First, let me clarify the headline:

According to the Turkish Language Association’s Great Turkish Dictionary, the surname Oğan, which belongs to Mr. Sinan, means “God”…

I don’t know who takes such a surname, why, or with what self-confidence; I don’t know why his father or grandfathers might have preferred it, and I am getting to our main point.

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Sinan Oğan entered the first round of the presidential elections held last year as the candidate of the “ATA Alliance” and, thanks to the great efforts of Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, received the votes of exactly 2 million 831 thousand 239 of our citizens.

In other words, 5.17 percent of the votes cast nationwide were credited to his account.

Throughout the election campaign, he had criticized President Erdoğan with harsh sentences, and had, as the idiom goes, torn him apart.

However, whatever happened in the second round of the election held on May 28, 2023; Mr. Sinan turned 180 degrees.

He announced that he would support the candidate of the People’s Alliance, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom he had even accused of being a “dictator” before the first round. 

He even appeared on the same stage with him and had photos taken.

In the end, he played a major role in Recep Tayyip Erdoğan winning the election.

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And so; whatever happened, happened after that…

It was alleged that the person behind this academic politician of Azerbaijani origin suddenly supporting Erdoğan was Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and that Aliyev had gifted a “mini-palace” worth 1 million dollars in his own country to convince Sinan Oğan.

In fact, since that date, Sinan Oğan has settled into this house in Azerbaijan rather than living in Turkey and being the target of criticism and questions.

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And yesterday… As the old saying goes, the mask fell and the truth was revealed.

Oğan opened the doors of this mini-palace, which has sparked public debate, to the “Persona” program broadcast on Ictimai TV in Azerbaijan.

We still don’t have information about how many rooms, living rooms, bathrooms, or kitchens the house has…

But… 

Let me give you some clues so you can guess. According to the information provided by Mr. Sinan himself, inside this mini-palace…

There is a football field…

A volleyball court…

And even an open-air cinema.

The Azerbaijani reporter is amazed by what she sees and cannot help but ask in her beautiful accent, “Did I come to a 1 million dollar garden, or a house?”…

Oğan’s response is, “This is worth even more than 1 million dollars.”

*

The gentleman’s background is clear:

He was born 55 years ago in Iğdır as the child of a middle-class Azerbaijani Turkish family…

He graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Marmara University’s Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences…

Then he completed his master’s degree and earned his doctorate…

He worked for many years as a “modest-salaried” faculty member at Marmara University…

Then he served as a mid-income bureaucrat in institutions such as TİKA and the Eurasian Strategic Research Center.

Then he was elected as an Iğdır Deputy from the Nationalist Movement Party in the 2011 Turkish General Elections…

So, the money he earned there is also clear!

Apart from these, he has neither a large fortune left by his family, nor any other jobs where he could earn astronomical income…

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I hadn’t written about this until I saw this mini-palace; I had just dismissed it as “gossip,” but…

Now, not asking would be a betrayal of the profession:

Tell me, Mr. Sinan, where did the money for this mill come from?

Are the allegations about you true?

Is there a connection between you directing the votes cast for you in the first round to President Erdoğan and this “ostentatious” life?

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Even though your surname means “God”…

You are an ordinary servant just like us…

Therefore, you have to be held accountable!

If you haven’t engaged in smuggling…

If you haven’t been involved in dirty business…

I suppose you didn’t acquire this wealth with a “civil servant” salary…

I am asking on behalf of the 2 million 831 thousand 239 of our citizens who voted for you in the first round:

How did you come to own this mini-palace, which you say has a market value of more than 1 million dollars?