But the leaders continue as usual: the court in Zurich dissolves the pro-Erdogan association

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Anyone who visits the website of the Turkish business association Müsiad Switzerland ends up in digital nowhere. The powerful international organization, headquartered in Istanbul and which has repeatedly made headlines in Switzerland due to its proximity to the AKP, the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69), has suddenly become noticeably quiet. What happened?

Blick research shows: Müsiad Switzerland is not voluntarily silent. The judiciary forcibly liquidated the business association. In a ruling by the Dielsdorf District Court in Zurich on October 16, 2023, the judges ruled: “The association Müsiad Switzerland is dissolved and its liquidation is ordered in accordance with the bankruptcy rules.”

Secretary sues ex-employer

The reason for the drastic measure is a dispute between the association and its former secretary. The woman sued her ex-employer because Müsiad initially withheld her wages and eventually fired her.

The labor court ruled in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the association to pay her almost 20,000 francs in back wages, plus 6,700 francs in damages for wrongful dismissal.

But Müsiad simply did not pay. All payment orders and collections came to nothing. The court in Dielsdorf then decided that Müsiad had to be dissolved due to organizational shortcomings. According to the judgment, the association lacks a valid place of residence and board members.

However, Müsiad Switzerland continued to work happily in the background. One day after the court order in mid-October, association executives traveled to Ankara, where they met the Turkish Economy Minister in Erdogan’s cabinet.

At the end of November, the Swiss branch of Müsiad, which describes itself as politically independent but is in fact close to the ruling AKP party, invited politicians, entrepreneurs and diplomats for an extensive breakfast at a restaurant in Schlieren ZH. Turkish Consul General Hasan Uygun and AKP MP Azmi Ekinci were also present.

Resolution is a big misunderstanding

Call Serif Yildiz. The Turkish businessman was president of Müsiad Switzerland until 2021. He also organized the meeting in Ankara and the breakfast in Schlieren, where he continued to portray himself as Müsiad boss despite the dissolution of the association. Yildiz tells Blick that he recently took back the presidency.

The issue of the secretary’s salaries, which have not yet been paid, is “a matter of discussion”, Yildiz admitted. However, the court’s ruling, according to which Müsiad must be dissolved because there is neither a board of directors nor a club headquarters, is based on a major misunderstanding.

The new board members did not register in the trade register because they were afraid of attacks, says Yildiz. Due to the threats, the association’s headquarters was also abandoned. That is why the association has not heard anything about the court rulings against it; the mail did not arrive.

In fact, there have been repeated threats against leading Müsiad members, presumably from Erdogan opponents and Kurdish activists. In late 2020, masked men also attacked Yildiz’s private home, throwing glasses full of paint and spraying threats on the facade.

Müsiad continues its work

Ilhan Gönüler, the secretary’s lawyer, contradicts Yildiz’s assurances: “They are all cheap excuses. Anyone who heads an association of entrepreneurs must at least be able to handle the mail or forward mail.

Meanwhile, the Müsiad business organization is fighting. Serif Yildiz: “The association continues its work.” The board has now reorganized – and all important documents have now been submitted to the court and are hoping for forgiveness.

Müsiad Switzerland’s online presence is still going nowhere. However, three words can be read without any additional information: “Website is being updated…”

Source: Blick