President Donald Trump has nominated the sister of renowned heart surgeon Mehmet Oz, Seval Oz, for the position of Deputy Secretary at the Department of Transportation. The father of the Oz siblings, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Oz, hails from the district of Bozkir in Konya.

According to an announcement on the U.S. Congress website, President Trump has added another Turkish name to his team. Seval Oz, who specializes in autonomous driverless vehicles, has been nominated for a newly created position of “deputy secretary” at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

WHAT WILL SEVAL OZ’S ROLE BE? Seval Oz’s nomination has been forwarded to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation from the state of California. Various departments in the U.S. government operate with multiple deputy secretaries.

The White House has yet to disclose the full role of Oz at the Department of Transportation, but her professional background indicates she may be responsible for overseeing driverless vehicle policies at the department.

THE OZ FAMILY’S ORIGINS IN KONYA

Mehmet Oz’s father, Prof. Oz, married Suna Atabay in 1959. Besides Mehmet Oz, they have two daughters named Seval and Nazlim.

Prof. Mustafa Oz, born on October 3, 1925, in the Bozkir district of Konya, completed his education at state boarding schools and received a scholarship to finish his medical studies at Istanbul University in 1950. He later went to the United States where he specialized at Doctor’s Hospital in Cleveland, obtaining the title of general surgeon in 1959. After spending 54 years in America, Prof. Oz returned to Turkey.

HERITAGE DISPUTE

In 2019, the Oz siblings had a dispute over their father’s inheritance following his passing. Nazlim Oz claimed in 2020 that her brother did not share with her a monthly income of $15,000 for two real estate properties. Dr. Oz alleged that his sister earned an income by forging their father’s signature. Seval Oz, whose nomination for a governmental position was announced, filed lawsuits alongside her brother Mehmet Oz against their sister Nazlim. Dr. Oz and his sister Seval, who resides in California, sued Nazlim, accusing her of embezzling their father’s $2.9 million in funds in the Netherlands, India, and the Cayman Islands. The inheritance left by father Mustafa Oz, including a mansion in Sarıyer and numerous properties and bank funds, led to a series of legal battles among the siblings.MEHMET OZ’S NOMINATION PROCESS Seval Oz, the sister of Dr. Mehmet Oz, who Trump has nominated as the head of the Health Insurance Department, is a candidate for confirmation as Secretary of the Finance Committee in the Senate. The confirmation hearing is expected to take place on Friday, March 14th. This hearing will mark the first time in history that a person who is both Turkish and American citizens has passed through the confirmation process in the U.S. Senate.