Who is General A.Ç., labeled a 'Menzil member' in court?

In the book titled "Menzil'in Kasası" (The Safe of Menzil), published 8 months ago by our successful young colleague İsmail Arı, there is an interview with an important Menzil member. Here is what this important person had to say:

"The Gendarmerie General Command is currently a fortress for Menzil... For example, there is gendarmerie at the entrance of the Menzil village, but that gendarmerie is already serving the sect... There are many retired and active-duty soldiers who are members of Menzil... With the support it received from the government, the sect easily staffed its members, and there was an explosion of disciples. Soldiers, police officers, and bureaucrats began to visit Menzil comfortably... The sect organized in the public sector just like FETÖ... While Menzil was a small structure supported by the government, it has now become a large structure supported by the government. Members of Menzil have become deputies, ministers, doctors, soldiers, prosecutors, judges, deans, rectors, and even governors and district governors."

We have recently heard other things about the gendarmerie-sect relationship. For example;

A member of the İsmailağa sect explained how he had a festival canceled by speaking with the Van Provincial Gendarmerie Commander...

In Ordu Çaybaşı, a National Education Branch Manager inspected a dormitory alleged to belong to the Süleymancılar. Upon determining during the inspection that 6 children were being kept in the dormitory illegally and unregistered, he drew up a report and called the gendarmerie to have these students delivered to their families. However, the arriving gendarmerie did not want to sign the prepared report and left the scene, while the sect members assaulted that manager...

It was seen that Şırnak Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Murat Bulut participated in the election campaign of the AKP's İdil mayoral candidate along with the Governor of Şırnak, the Provincial Police Chief, and other officials...

Those Who Took Photos with Menzil's Deputy Are Gone

Let us continue to write about those who came and went with the latest Gendarmerie decree, which we have been scrutinizing for two days, and what is being talked about in the corridors.

Major General Murat Bulut, whom we mentioned just above and who participated in the AKP's election campaign, was appointed to the Gendarmerie General Command Inspection and Evaluation Presidency.

Last February, our colleague İsmail Arı had revealed that Gendarmerie General Command Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Halis Zafer Koç met in his office with M. Raşid Seydaoğlu, who is alleged to be Menzil's bureaucracy deputy (person in charge); unexpectedly, that commander was retired before his term of office expired.

File Service on the Night of the Decree

Let us look at one of the promotions and appointments that received the most media coverage: Lieutenant General Hüseyin Kurtoğlu's promotion to the rank of General and his appointment as the first deputy of the Gendarmerie General Command.

With Kurtoğlu's new position, it was recalled how his path was blocked when he was sentenced to prison by a "FETÖ" plot while he was the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Commander in 2011.

Yes, Kurtoğlu was also subjected to a "FETÖ" plot; but while hundreds of plot victims, including the 26th Chief of General Staff İlker Başbuğ, were in Silivri, the file that the then-Prime Minister Erdoğan and Minister of Justice Sadullah Ergin personally followed and tried to resolve was Kurtoğlu's.

The reason for this special interest was the claim that Kurtoğlu was also close to another sect.

Following the overturning of that plot by the Court of Cassation, Hüseyin Kurtoğlu was appointed to the following positions respectively:

After the July 15 coup attempt, he was promoted to Brigadier General and was reassigned to the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command.

With his promotion to Major General in 2018, he was brought to the Presidency of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy, which is the main center for personnel procurement. It was rumored that he served here independently and autonomously from the Gendarmerie General Command.

While he was expected to be brought to a position at the Headquarters in 2020, he was made the Van Gendarmerie Public Order Corps Commander.

With his promotion to Lieutenant General in 2022, he was appointed as Deputy Gendarmerie General Commander; but he was assigned to the command in Aydın, not the Headquarters in Ankara.

Finally, with the latest decree, he was both promoted to General and entered the Headquarters for the first time in years.

Let us state that the nickname "Wolf Man" is used for Kurtoğlu in the gendarmerie organization, and that he has as many people who dislike him as those who like him, and let us convey some inside information.

The allegation is that on the night the last decree was issued, a scandalous court file regarding Kurtoğlu was put into circulation. Naturally, all eyes turned to the team close to the new Gendarmerie General Commander Ali Çardakçı, who is alleged to be a Menzil member. Some, however, are of the opinion that this was done by "FETÖ" members abroad through their men inside.

Recalling the comments already being made that "The way has been paved for Hüseyin Kurtoğlu to be the next Gendarmerie General Commander," the summary of what is being said is as follows:

"It appears that a balance was tried to be established with Kurtoğlu, who belongs to another sect, against the allegations of Menzil structuring in the Gendarmerie. But both commanders got into trouble and were dealt a blow before they even started their duties. If other conflicts occur in the coming process, one should not be surprised."

AKP's "Objectionable / Suspicious Personnel" Criterion

Finally, before describing the new Gendarmerie General Commander General Ali Çardakçı, let us share information about two commanders who were brought to important positions last year so that we can have an idea about the AKP's appointment criteria.

Both of these commanders were in the "objectionable/suspicious personnel" category in the past. That is why they submitted their retirement petitions immediately after July 15. But somehow, a hand intervened, and they not only got promoted but were also appointed to important units. For the place where one of them served, it is said, "It turned into a madrasa."

Did the New Commander Also "Suffer a Lot"?

Arif Çetin, who had been the Gendarmerie General Commander for exactly 7 years, was retired due to the age limit, and Ali Çardakçı was appointed in his place.

In fact, Çardakçı becoming the commander had been on the agenda for 2 years. However, because everyone, whether they liked him or not, supported Arif Çetin, albeit reluctantly, due to the "Menzil member" allegations against him, Çardakçı's appointment was delayed for 2 years.

Let us start with Çardakçı from here:

You remember; we frequently wrote about how the "Atatürk and Vahdettin" debate between Captain C.H. and a sergeant at the Gendarmerie Commando Special Public Order Command was turned into an "insult to the President" case and what was done to have Captain C.H., who called Vahdettin a "traitor," expelled from the Gendarmerie.

We also reported on what happened at the hearing of this case on June 17 with the headline "Is General A.Ç. from the Menzil Sect?". C.H.'s lawyer, Serdar Öztürk, had voiced the following allegation in court:

"We asked you to write to the MIT and ask whether there is a Menzil structure in the Gendarmerie. But you refused. For example, General A.Ç. is from the Menzil sect. If he has an objection, I will confront him anywhere. Therefore, they tried to fire this kid. A.Ç.'s signature is also under most of the documents."

The person whom Lawyer Öztürk spoke of openly, and whom we coded as "A.Ç.", was Ali Çardakçı.

Noting that two colonels, whom Captain C.H. alleged played a role in the plot against him, were also appointed to overseas duties with the latest decree, let us share one more allegation regarding the past of the new Commander Ali Çardakçı.

It is alleged that Çardakçı experienced some difficulties in the past because his wife wore a headscarf and that he attempted to separate from his wife twice to continue his career.

It must be true, as it is stated that a high-level AKP member used the phrase "Ali also suffered a lot" during the process of Çardakçı's appointment to the Gendarmerie General Command.

We had opened the gendarmerie file with some posts full of messages by the late Staff Colonel Güven Şağban. Let us end with the emphasis in his post on June 14, 2023, on the occasion of the Gendarmerie's anniversary.

He had said, "Happy anniversary to the Republic's gendarmerie."

May he rest in peace...