ISTANBUL: Authorities in Turkey have detained a former military chief for his alleged role in a 1997 coup that forced an Islamic-leaning government from power, Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday.

The retired general, Ismail Hakki Karadayi, is expected to testify before an Ankara court as part of an investigation that was launched in 2011 and has led to the arrest of dozens of military officers.

Gen Karadayi’s lawyer said he was not aware of any arrest warrant issued for his client, who was “being summoned to Ankara” to testify as a suspect, the agency added.

The suspects, several of them former generals, are accused of “overthrowing a government and inhibiting its functions” and risk lengthy prison terms if convicted.

Gen Karadayi was the head of the military chiefs of staff in 1997 – the last time Turkey’s once all-powerful military was involved in changing the government, when it forced the Islamic-rooted premier Necmettin Erbakan to step down.—AFP