21 July 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
The family of 71-year-old Toprak Holding Chairman Halis Toprak has appealed to a court to annul his recent marriage to 17-year-old Nazlıcan Tağızade.
Toprak's marriage to the teenager has shocked his family. The marriage was a complete surprise, particularly for his first wife, Ayşe Toprak, the mother of his 10 children. The children were astonished to learn of their father's latest marriage from newspapers. Toprak's family will try to persuade their father to have the marriage annulled, but they have also hired six lawyers to informally question the young girl and her family about the marriage. The lawyers will also apply to a court demanding a medical evaluation of Toprak's mental health. If his mental state is deemed to be sound, the court will reject his family's request to have the marriage annulled. However, Toprak may disinherit the members of his family who filed the case against him. Toprak became acquainted with his new wife through friends. One of Tağızade's relatives reportedly works at a hotel belonging to Toprak in Kars, a city in the easternmost part of Turkey, bordering Armenia. In the meantime, the couple is enjoying their honeymoon at a summerhouse in Kuşadası, a town on the Aegean coast. The age difference between Toprak and his 17-year-old bride in this, his third marriage, has made him the subject of harsh criticism.
