Eyes turn to the court following the MASAK report

As part of operations carried out in 6 provinces, including Istanbul, after November 1, 2023, 24 suspects, including Dilan Polat and her husband Engin Polat, were detained. Following the investigations, a preliminary report was prepared by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) regarding the digital materials and ledgers seized during searches conducted at their companies.

In the final 908-page report prepared regarding the suspects, including the Polat couple—whose digital materials and ledgers were seized during previous searches of their companies as part of the investigation—it was stated that Dilan Polat purchased 3 real estate properties between 2020 and 2023 and that 5 million 400 thousand liras entered her account, but there was no suspicious data in her accounts.

The report noted that Dilan Polat did not have decision-making authority in commercial and financial transactions, and that the decision-makers were Engin and Sezgin Polat.

The report noted that between 2020 and 2023, 71 million 904 thousand lira entered Engin Polat's account, while 144 million 208 thousand lira was withdrawn, and pointed out that he acquired 3 vehicles and 6 real estate properties during these years; it was stated that no findings related to illegal betting were found. It was reported that, considering the general commercial capacities of the family companies, the transactions regarding assets were proportional to the income generated.

The report states that Engin Polat committed the crime of tax evasion (maintaining double books) during accounting periods by recording entries in other recording media in a way that reduced the tax base, in addition to his legal books; it also emphasizes that no findings were made regarding illegal betting or money laundering.

The prosecutor, emphasizing that it would not be a correct approach to expect money obtained through illegal means to be sent to the accounts of the individuals and companies subject to the investigation in a clear and easily detectable manner, included the following assessments in the indictment:

"It is assessed that the individuals and companies subject to the investigation, using professional tactics and organization to mask their ultimate goals, established dozens of companies operating in the beauty and cosmetics sector and even engaged in genuine commercial activities reaching significant figures. During these activities, by moving money between companies and utilizing both fake invoices and cash withdrawals and deposits, they attempted to make control impossible by effectively blending money obtained from genuine commercial activities with money flowing through illegal channels."

"Indeed, it has been concluded that a portion of the high-value funds was kept and transferred to the relevant parties via crypto wallets in order to prevent the true situation from being revealed, or was held in possession and used for a luxurious lifestyle when needed, thus operating the money laundering process."

The 909-page MASAK report prepared regarding Dilan Polat and her husband Engin Polat states that Dilan Polat had no decision-making authority in commercial and financial transactions, and that the decision-maker was her husband, Engin Polat. Accordingly, whether Dilan Polat will be released at the hearing to be held tomorrow has become a subject of curiosity.