New development in the Ahbap investigation: 11 more suspects referred to the courthouse

Developments continue to unfold in the Ahbap Association investigation, which is being conducted under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. As part of the investigation launched on charges of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes," "qualified fraud," and "laundering assets derived from crime," 11 of the suspects detained on July 14 were referred to the courthouse following their processing at the gendarmerie. The interrogation of 6 other individuals in custody is ongoing.

The investigation, in which 14 people, including the association's founder Haluk Levent, have already been arrested, continues to expand.

11 SUSPECTS AT ÇAĞLAYAN COURTHOUSE

The processing of the suspects, who were held in custody by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM) Branch Directorate, has been completed:

The 11 individuals, whose processing at the gendarmerie was finished, were referred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan under heavy security measures. The suspects' statement-taking procedures at the prosecutor's office are ongoing.

The statement and interrogation procedures for the other 6 suspects detained as part of the same operation are continuing at the gendarmerie command.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED? MASAK REPORT AND TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE REVEALED THE SCHEME

The massive operation, jointly conducted by the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Investigation Branch and gendarmerie teams, began with a comprehensive report prepared by MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) regarding Ahbap Association employees.

The investigation file includes the following serious charges against the suspects:

High-value money movements amounting to millions of liras, which do not match the suspects' official financial profiles, were detected.

It was determined that very large sums were transferred from association resources or linked accounts to games of chance and illegal betting sites, and that large amounts of money were lost through this method.

It was determined through physical and technical surveillance that the suspects carried out numerous suspicious and chain title deed transfer transactions among themselves in a short period of time.

WAVE OF OPERATIONS: 14 ARRESTS INCLUDING HALUK LEVENT

The past process of the investigation reveals the scale of the operations:

First wave (July 12): 17 people connected to Ahbap Association members and employees, including the association's founder, the famous singer Haluk Levent, were detained in the first operation. 7 more people were apprehended in the ongoing efforts.

Second wave (July 14): 17 more people were detained in simultaneous operations conducted by gendarmerie teams in Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli, and Muğla.

Judicial balance sheet: So far, while 1 person has been released after processing at the police station, 14 suspects out of the 23 referred to the courthouse, including Haluk Levent, have been arrested and sent to prison. The investigation is being deepened and continued.

News Source: 12punto