Authorities in Turkey have arrested a former minister and deputy chair of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's ruling party over her alleged involvement in a share-price manipulation scandal involving several investment funds.

Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya resigned as the deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party in September, shortly after allegations emerged that she had sold shares worth tens of millions of dollars just before regulators decided to liquidate the investment funds over alleged manipulation.

Kaya, who served as family and social affairs minister from 2016 to 2018, was taken into custody late on Thursday pending a possible trial on charges of membership in a criminal organization and violating Turkey's Capital Markets Law, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.