Breaking News: Artist Haluk Levent detained! First statement from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office

The Ministry of Justice has issued a written statement regarding the investigation conducted into the AHBAP Association.

The statement reported that an arrest warrant has been issued for Haluk Levent, the Chairman of the AHBAP Association, as part of an investigation being carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

In the ministry's statement, it was noted that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting an investigation into the AHBAP Association and that an arrest warrant has been issued for Haluk Levent within this scope.

No information was provided regarding the content of the investigation or the grounds for the arrest warrant.

ALLEGATIONS IN THE INVESTIGATION

It has been learned that the investigation into Haluk Levent includes charges of "violating the Law on Associations," "laundering assets derived from crime," and "membership in an organization."

Following the arrest warrant, Levent was detained by teams from the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Financial Crimes Branch.

FIRST STATEMENT FROM THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

A statement has been released by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the investigation.

The statement included the following remarks:

"The investigation proceedings regarding the investigation numbered 2025/53115, which is being conducted before our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and concerns the allegation that 'large amounts of money were transferred to the accounts of certain suspects on behalf of the AHBAP Association,' have been deepened following increasing allegations that earthquake donations were smuggled abroad and used for purposes other than intended. Within the framework of the deepened investigation proceedings;

It has been determined that Haluk Levent, the founder of the association, used the accounts of numerous suspects, one of which belongs to his assistant Yeliz Kaya; that approximately 120 million TL was transferred from the AHBAP Association to accounts that are the personal accounts of suspect Yeliz Kaya and used by suspect Haluk Levent; that 990 million TL in legal bets were placed between 2020 and 2026 and approximately 390 million TL was lost from the accounts of suspect Alper Çelik, who is one of the founders of the association and whose accounts were used by suspect Haluk Levent; that the fact that suspect Haluk Levent, who cannot use a personal bank account and whose checks used in commercial transactions bounced, placed bets of this volume has increased suspicions; and that the operation and arrest process were initiated after the suspect, who was subject to a travel ban measure, began preparations to flee abroad,

In addition, within the scope of a separate investigation, it was determined that the suspect acquired real estate from victims by using the association's name and the promise of donations, but that the real estate transferred to Yeliz Kaya's person was later registered in the names of different suspects, creating a victimization of approximately 60 million USD,

There are serious indications that the association's accounts were emptied by being transferred to commercial bills and personal accounts, and that the association's real estate was registered in the names of the suspects themselves,

It has been determined that the donations of our sensitive citizens, who wanted to help while under the negative and painful emotions created by the earthquake disaster of February 6, 2023, were transferred by the suspects to personal accounts, used for betting, and transferred to third parties, and the suspects have been detained."