Background
Adnan Kahveci was born on 20 February 1949. In the 1980s he was one of Turgut Özal’s closest advisers, was among the founders of ANAP in 1983 and later served as a minister. He was Minister of Finance and Customs from 29 March 1990 to 20 November 1991, and no longer held that post at the time of the 1993 crash.
What happened
On 5 February 1993 Kahveci set out by car for Istanbul with his family. At the Gerede–Çaydurt junction in Gerede, Bolu, he entered a not-yet-officially-opened motorway in the wrong direction; according to accounts, the Istanbul-bound lanes had been closed with barriers and signs altered. In foggy, lightly rainy conditions his car collided with an oncoming vehicle.
Kahveci, his wife Füsun Kahveci and the other car’s driver, Murat Demir, died. Their 17-year-old daughter Aslıhan was gravely injured and died about ten days later; their 10-year-old son Cihan survived with injuries.
Investigation and where it stands
In court the contractor was found at fault for failing to provide proper markings on the motorway and was later released under an amnesty.
Because Kahveci was known as a careful driver and several prominent figures died the same year, the crash was debated for years as ‘accident or assassination’. No court ruling supports the assassination claims. Kahveci is remembered on anniversaries of his death.