A Turkish tycoon, Akin Ipek, will appear before a London court on Tuesday to contest Ankara’s demand for his extradition over alleged links to a deadly attempted coup in 2016.
Ipek, 54, is accused of being a member of and providing financial support to the outlawed Gulen movement, which is blamed by the Turkish government for the July 2016 putsch that left 250 people dead. He fled to London in 2015, shortly before police launched a series of raids on his companies, which were later seized by the government.
The case is due to be heard at Westminster magistrates’ court on Tuesday.
“The courts are entitled to refuse [extradition] either because they believe the proceedings are motivated by political considerations or because he would not receive a fair trial in Turkey,” said Andrew Smith, an extradition specialist at the law firm Corker Binning.
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