As Turkey grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, the March 17 arrest of Azeri-Turkish billionaire Mubariz Mansimov Gurbanoglu failed to draw the attention it deserves. Gurbanoglu was arrested on terrorism charges, part of what he alleges is a web of collusion between global energy giants and Turkish prosecutors.

Gurbanoglu, 52, was a former ally and alleged business partner of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s family. He is accused of operating on behalf of the Sunni cleric Fethullah Gulen. The high-flying Gurbanoglu, who owns one of the world’s largest fleets of oil tankers, is being held in Istanbul’s Silivri Prison and has yet to be indicted.

Turkish authorities say the Pennsylvania-based Gulen, who Gurbanoglu is accused of colluding with, engineered the 2016 coup attempt.

Tens of thousands of people, including wealthy industrialists who rubbed shoulders with Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), have been prosecuted and jailed over their alleged role in seeking his violent overthrow. Alleged membership in the Fethullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, as it's referred to in Turkey, has become a catchall for rounding up Erdogan’s enemies, real and perceived, and a way to extort large sums of money from businesspeople, rights groups say.