Testimony of Mehmet Ali Erbil in illegal betting investigation revealed: 'He offered 20-25 thousand euros'

The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into suspects, including social media influencers and famous names, regarding allegations of encouraging illegal betting is ongoing.

The testimony given to the prosecutor's office and the court by suspect Mehmet Ali Erbil, who was detained as part of the investigation and for whom a judicial control measure in the form of "house arrest" was decided, has emerged.

In his testimony to the prosecutor's office, when asked how he knew the people in the video recording included in the investigation file, suspect Erbil explained that he met these people through a mutual friend.

Stating that he was invited to a hotel opening in Malta with suspect Serdar Ortaç, Erbil noted that the individuals in question were also trying to film there.

Claiming that the hotel owner tried to make him wear a T-shirt during this opening and that he later learned this T-shirt contained betting advertisements, Erbil stated that he opposed this situation and used the following expressions:

 "Because we were guests, I fell out with those who invited us. In the broadcasts on that site, I have statements such as 'Gambling is very dangerous, I have never played it in my life.' This broadcast lasted about half an hour, and afterwards, realizing the situation, we made a press statement through our lawyers. An individual named Ünal later called me and tried to deceive me. He invited me to broadcast again, saying there was a program on YouTube, but I understood the situation and did not accept."

Claiming that this person had been offering him to broadcast together for 3 months and offered 20-25 thousand euros for this, Erbil argued that he had no prior acquaintance with this person, that he had not met with the mutual friend who mediated their meeting since the incident, and that he did not receive any financial income in exchange for appearing in the videos.

Claiming that he did not realize the writing on the T-shirts worn by the people in the videos was an illegal betting advertisement, Erbil noted that the video in question was taken as a souvenir, that he did not know it was taken for the purpose of being published, and that he did not accept the accusations against him.

"WE HAVE NO FINANCIAL OR MORAL INTEREST"

In his testimony at the criminal judgeship of peace, Erbil stated that he found himself in an event he did not know about, saying, "They published my videos by advertising without my knowledge. I filed a criminal complaint about this through my lawyers, as I recall, around July, and I also made a public statement."

Defending that he never played illegal betting, Erbil said, "We only went to a restaurant opening with Serdar Ortaç for a change. We have no financial or moral interest. No benefit can be found in my bank transactions. I don't need such a thing either. I emphasize in my social media accounts, 'Do not gamble.' If I were to advertise, I could have promoted the names of such companies, but I did not engage in such a business. I am innocent, I request to be released."

In its decision, the criminal judgeship of peace decided to reject the request for Erbil's arrest, citing his age and health problems, and the lack of suspicion that existing evidence would be lost or tampered with.

The court ruled that a judicial control measure in the form of a "travel ban" and "house arrest" be applied to Erbil.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had issued detention warrants for 23 suspects, including social media influencers and some famous names, in the investigation conducted into allegations of encouraging illegal betting.

In the investigation, it was determined that among the suspects alleged to have appeared in illegal betting advertisements were singer Serdar Ortaç, presenter Mehmet Ali Erbil, former football player Batuhan Karadeniz, social media influencers İbrahim Yılmaz, Muzaffer Zorbey Erkoçkar, Sefa Caner Sarıçam, and Russian and Turkish citizen Aleksander Mensikof.

In the operation organized by the Istanbul Police Department teams, 16 of the suspects, including Mehmet Ali Erbil and Serdar Ortaç, were detained.

It was learned that 5 of the suspects were abroad and efforts to locate the other 2 were ongoing.

Following their procedures at the police station, a judicial control decision in the form of "house arrest" was issued for Serdar Ortaç and Mehmet Ali Erbil, who were referred to the courthouse; 12 suspects, including Sefa Caner Sarıçam, Esma Sözen, Muzaffer Zorbey Erkoçkar, and İbrahim Yılmaz, were arrested, and it was decided that 2 suspects would be released under judicial control conditions.

News Source: AA