Sezgin Baran Korkmaz breaks his silence to Fatih Altaylı: Soylu-İnan Kıraç relationship, FETÖ stock market allegations, Paramount Hotel...

Journalist Fatih Altaylı hosted Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, who was released in the US in August 2023 after being detained on money laundering charges, on his YouTube channel.

In the program, which lasted nearly 3 hours, Korkmaz responded to the allegations against him and made very serious accusations regarding the 'FETÖ stock market'.

"A LAWYER WHO IS A FUGITIVE FROM FETÖ HAS THE POWER TO CONDUCT OPERATIONS IN TURKEY"

Speaking about the MASAK report prepared regarding the money laundering allegations against him, Korkmaz said:

"The MASAK report is not a real report. There is so much unreal, manipulated information in it..."

“On September 19, 2020, I went to a lawyer's office in Istanbul. The lawyer told me, 'An operation will be conducted against you tomorrow.' I asked, 'What kind of operation?'

'There is a lawyer named Halil İbrahim Koca in England. He is a FETÖ imam. I witnessed a phone conversation between a friend of mine and Halil İbrahim Koca. An operation will be conducted against you, be sure of that,' he said.

'That cannot be,' I said.

Then I went to the office of the lawyer in Turkey for Halil İbrahim Koca's partner, Yalçın Ayaslı (who was cleared of FETÖ charges). I said, 'You know, Burhan Bey, that I have been struggling with a complex structure from beginning to end.'

I asked if he knew Halil İbrahim Koca. He said he knew him but did not speak with him.

I asked him to ask Yalçın Bey. He called Yalçın Ayaslı in my presence and asked. Yalçın Ayaslı said, 'They will conduct an operation against him (SBK) tomorrow or the next day.'

When asked how it would be done, he said, 'The friends organized it.'

A FETÖ imam in England knows that an operation will be conducted against me. I shared this information with someone I trust in Ankara. He confirmed it too. 'They told us differently. We just realized it's a game. Hang up, I will call you,' he said.

Later, he said, 'They said this is a setup. Not against you, but a setup against the Turkish state. Someone, with certain organisms within the state, is going to have a second Reza Zarrab investigation against Baran Korkmaz in the US.'

He calls the MASAK President, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, or the Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor. He says, 'Baran Korkmaz is going abroad. Conduct an urgent operation.'

There is no MASAK report or anything. How are you going to conduct an operation against someone without a MASAK report? The law does not allow this.

An investigation was opened against me without a MASAK report.

Then, I had recorded my conversation with lawyer Burhan Bey and his conversation with Yalçın Ayaslı. I let my lawyer listen to that recording.

Think about it, a lawyer who is a fugitive from FETÖ has the power to conduct an operation against you in Turkey..."

I RECEIVED THE ANSWER "THIS IS A VERY DIRTY BUSINESS"

"Before the first investigation was opened, someone said, 'Sabah newspaper is going to run a story about you. Ali Saydam has taken on Yalçın Ayaslı's PR work.'

I called lawyer Mehmet Gün and asked him to get an appointment for me from Ali Saydam. I said to Ali Saydam, 'Ali Bey, you have taken on Yalçın Ayaslı's PR work. And you have also run a story about me.' I stated with documents and files that this story was a lie.

'You came, but Ahmet Kasım Han is also on one side of this business,' he said.

When I asked who he was, he said, 'A professor friend of ours, the person hired as PR to explain the parts about Yalçın Ayaslı in the media.'

When I asked, 'Who hired you?', I received the answer, 'Hergüner Law Office.'

What does that have to do with it? This is a commercial lawsuit. Hergüner Law Office on one side, Ali Saydam on one side, and Ahmet Kasım Han on the other.

I explained these after Ahmet Kasım Han came to Ali Bey's office.

Then they said there was a mistake in this business and they would look into it. I left the files with them.

Ahmet Kasım Han said, 'This is a very dirty business. This man is doing this so he doesn't pay you the money.'

PARTNERSHIP WITH YALÇIN AYASLI

I bought Borajet with Yalçın Ayaslı. It had 10 planes, 40 million dollars in market debt, and 35 million in bank debts.

We submitted the offer in November 2016. Zafer Mutlu was also on one side of the offer. Zafer Bey is also a party to this business. The company was very close to technical bankruptcy.

Yalçın Ayaslı will continue to remain with us as a 25 percent profit partner. We made an agreement like this.

45 days passed. Yalçın Bey is not answering our calls.

We went to Zahide Üner, who handles all of Yalçın Bey's financial affairs. She said, 'There is nothing I can do.'

3 days after this, Fargo Bank from England sent a 20 million dollar foreclosure order.

There is no debt appearing on the balance sheet.

We called the financiers. We said there is an abnormality here. 'Baran Bey, there are more abnormalities here,' they said, and brought the unprocessed invoices.

When we asked about the invoices, they said, 'This company had technically gone bankrupt at the end of 2015. If we had declared bankruptcy, the planes wouldn't have been able to fly. We hid the bankruptcy.'

Yalçın Bey sent a message saying, 'Deal with my lawyer Burhan Asaf Şafak.'

I went to Burhan Bey's office. I said, 'Let him return the money I put in, and let him come and take his company back.'

'Baran Bey, Yalçın Bey doesn't know either,' he said.

Then, upon this, I went to the former general manager of the company, Fatih Akol, and said, 'Yalçın Bey didn't know about these.'

'Wait a minute, Baran Bey, you are lucky. Yalçın Bey's email address is Borajet. Dump Borajet's emails to the server,' he said.

We dumped Borajet's emails to the server... He had described how he would defraud day by day with his own lawyer. We saw emails like, 'Burhan, can we move these companies to the US? Burhan, can the tax office from Turkey come after my daughters in the US later?'

These are the emails between Yalçın Bey and his own lawyer, Burhan Bey...

A terrible fraud...

WHY DID HE CALL YALÇIN AYASLI A FETÖ MEMBER?

I am not the one who calls Yalçın Ayaslı a FETÖ member. Halil İbrahim Koca is Yalçın Ayaslı's deputy chairman of the board. The founder of Borajet and Yalçın Ayaslı's lawyer. Where is he now? A fugitive in England with the title of FETÖ imam. Who was his other partner? Faruk Bayındır... He is also abroad due to FETÖ.

These people are Yalçın Ayaslı's partners, and there are thousands of such news stories about Yalçın Ayaslı himself before I bought Borajet, during July 15.

We filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office for fraud. The prosecutor's office cannot open a FETÖ investigation upon our request. This is a public case. The prosecutor himself opens this investigation.

HOW WAS THE FETÖ STOCK MARKET ESTABLISHED?

Lawyers have established such a FETÖ stock market that there is nowhere left for them to put the money right now. There has even been a fight over the sharing of money from this Borajet file right now.

"THEY TOOK PARTS FROM THE PLANES AND INSTALLED THEM ON OTHER PLANES"

Upon this, we talked to Burhan Bey. 'Baran Bey, let us cover whatever your loss is,' he said. But Yalçın Bey had no money.

They said, 'Let us reconcile you' so that we wouldn't file a lawsuit and get an injunction.

At the end of the day, they said let's pay 50 million dollars.

Then we learned that they had taken the parts of the 10 planes we mentioned and installed them on other planes.

We decided to ground these planes and stop the flights.

Burhan Bey also wanted us to pay the bank debts. Yalçın Bey also wanted a 10 million dollar loan. In return, they mentioned mansions and villas. They said the value was 150 million. We gave it to an appraiser, he said even if you sell them all, it wouldn't be worth 60 million.

When we were going to go to court for an injunction, we looked and saw that Yalçın Ayaslı had no assets left. How did he have none left? They had dumped them all on Garanti Bank.

They organized the work with instructions from the US. Garanti Bank was also going to give them a loan.

Onur Bey at Garanti Bank (currently in Spain) organized the work. They gave a 21 million dollar loan.

The lawyer who performed the transaction is also Burhan Şafak...

İLHAN CİHANER ACTED AS AYASLI'S LAWYER

Fatih Altaylı reminded that İlhan Cihaner acted as Yalçın Ayaslı's lawyer in the FETÖ case.

Altaylı, who spoke with İlhan Cihaner before the program he would do with Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, stated that Cihaner said, "Yalçın Bey was acquitted of the FETÖ accusation."

Upon Altaylı saying, "Cihaner is probably the person furthest from FETÖ in Turkey," Sezgin Baran Korkmaz reminded of the WhatsApp correspondence Yalçın Ayaslı sent to lawyer Burhan Asaf Şafak.

The following expressions were included in the message Ayaslı sent to Burhan Asaf Şafak:

"Dear Burhan, Lawyer Mustafa Ateş came back with a figure like 2 million to deal with the prosecutor's file. I told him that such a thing would not happen. Turkey has become a country of hungry wolves. In my opinion, it has no equivalent."

Stating that Mustafa Ateş is İlhan Cihaner's office partner, Sezgin Baran Korkmaz said, "He is someone who was detained for 3 months for FETÖ. Someone who was dismissed from being a member of the Court of Cassation. Look at the horror of the situation, will you?"

Korkmaz continued as follows:

"Who is the one asking for the money? If a man is not guilty of FETÖ, why would he want 2 million?

Let me tell you why this FETÖ file cannot be closed.

Zahide Üner, who handles all of Yalçın Ayaslı's financial affairs, tries to flee abroad via Dalaman in 2018 with a fake identity. She has a travel ban abroad due to a FETÖ investigation and a fraud case. Zahide Üner is caught with a fake identity while fleeing from Dalaman. She was arrested in Istanbul for a fake driver's license. A person cannot be arrested for a fake driver's license.

But one institution of the state knew that she went abroad with a FETÖ operation. But because one institution was still cleaning up on behalf of FETÖ, the institution above warned the institution below, 'Be careful with your officers. They are removing her from the FETÖ investigation,' it said.

Zahide Üner was arrested. Üner's lawyer is Dilek Helvacı. It was Yalçın Ayaslı who wanted to smuggle Zahide Üner abroad.

Yalçın Ayaslı had organized this to smuggle her abroad and have her testify against Turkey as he pleased. The lady submitted a petition to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office from Bakırköy Prison.

"The statement I gave before is not true. Yalçın Ayaslı tried to smuggle me abroad illegally with a FETÖ organization. I experienced these," she said.

Is the statement of Zahide Üner, who is inside, in the FETÖ file? No...

The prosecutor's office will look at how the non-prosecution decision was issued in the FETÖ file from the letter that came from Bakırköy. That is where the 2 million dollars lies."

WHERE IS THE 2 MILLION DOLLARS SBK MENTIONED?

Fatih Altaylı asked for the bank records of Sezgin Baran Korkmaz's 2 million dollar allegation.

Pointing to Mustafa Ateş's bank accounts, Korkmaz continued as follows:

"Look at Mustafa Ateş's bank accounts. Mustafa Ateş and his partner İlhan Cihaner... While Cihaner used to go door to door saying 'Buy me raki and fish,' now he is buying for others. I am aware of all of them. My intelligence is broad. Would I leave them alone...

My lawyer friend has 78 pages of their internal WhatsApp correspondence among themselves. Correspondence that will ensure they don't get out of prison for 25 years..."

HE RECOUNTED HIS CONVERSATION WITH SOYLU

Korkmaz announced that he bought the 45 percent stake in Kıraça Holding belonging to the Nahum family, who have been business partners of İnan Kıraç for many years, for 60 million dollars at İnan Kıraç's request, but that Kıraç did not repay this money despite promising to do so earlier.

Stating that he had obtained a precautionary attachment order against İnan Kıraç, Sezgin Baran Korkmaz said that then-Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu intervened and asked him to give the shares to İnan Kıraç free of charge.

Expressing that Soylu told him, "This is a state matter, you will erase İnan Kıraç's debt," Korkmaz recounted what happened as follows:

"45 percent of Kıraça Holding's shares were with the Nahum family. There was a problem between İnan Kıraç and the Nahum family. İnan Kıraç said that he could not agree with the Nahum family, that I should buy the shares from the Nahum family as an outsider, and that he would later buy those shares from me.

I accepted. I met with the Nahum family. I bought 45 percent of Kıraça Holding's shares for 60 million dollars. Later, I asked for my money from İnan Kıraç, but he did not agree to this. I also obtained a precautionary attachment order against İnan Kıraç in return for my receivable.

"İNAN KIRAÇ COMPLAINED ABOUT ME TO ERDOĞAN"

Upon this, İnan Kıraç went to Mr. Tayyip Erdoğan and explained that Sezgin Baran Korkmaz was trying to seize his assets, and Erdoğan gave the file to Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül. Abdülhamit Gül had the file examined and stated to Erdoğan that the file was a commercial debt-receivable issue.

Later, someone told Erdoğan that there was a seizure issue in this business, that this business fell under the duty of the Minister of Interior, and Erdoğan gave the file to Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu.

SOYLU SAID, 'YOU WILL ERASE KIRAÇ'S DEBT'

Upon this, Soylu invited me to his office in Ankara. When I went, I said that I was legally right, that I had obtained a precautionary attachment order, and that I would go to İnan Kıraç for foreclosure. Minister Soylu told me that I should erase this debt and give the shares to İnan Kıraç free of charge. When I asked why, he said this was a state matter.

When I said to Soylu, 'Are you treating me like this because I am Kurdish?', a police chief in the room confronted me. The conversation went to different places. This time I said, 'Are you talking to me like this because I am not from Trabzon?' This time the police chief stood up, and I stood up too. When there was tension, I left the ministry.

After I moved 10 minutes away, they called me again. They called me back. When I went, Soylu said, 'This is a state matter, you will erase İnan Kıraç's debt.' I said 'okay' and left without saying anything. Then I called someone effective in the state in Ankara, I wanted to learn the connection of this issue with the state.

'SOYLU CALLED İNAN KIRAÇ VIA VIDEO CALL'

He said that this had nothing to do with the state, and that Soylu was being officious to look good to Erdoğan and Kıraç. Later, someone else called me and said, 'Did they crush you in Ankara?' When I said 'what do you mean', he said, 'Soylu called İnan Kıraç via video call and explained the event like this.' I did not try to seize İnan Kıraç's assets, İnan Kıraç tried to seize mine. In fact, İnan Kıraç is not managing İnan Kıraç. A guardian should be appointed for him. The problems he has with his own daughter are also behind this. They also want to seize İpek Kıraç's assets through İnan Kıraç."

ALLEGATION OF SEIZING THE PARAMOUNT HOTEL

“If companies enter into financial debt, when they face foreclosures, if these companies are companies that can grow, I buy these companies.

Here, the Paramount Hotel was also for sale. I made an offer. They didn't want to sell at that price. The subject was closed.

6 months pass. Cihan Ekşioğlu said, 'This hotel is a nice hotel. There are liens on it.'

I said I would buy it on one condition. 'I will pay the enforcement files, but I won't give you money,' I said.

I paid all the enforcement files one by one and removed the liens. Then we agreed on 35 million Euros. I even paid the exchange rate difference.

"NO ONE IS PAYING FOR THE HOTEL"

I wanted to see the hotel. I paid for my own hotel. I also have the receipts. When I went to the hotel, I saw that no one was paying for the hotel. Everyone is famous.

I didn't go as the operator of the hotel. None of the people in the hotel were my guests.

"I DIDN'T INVITE ANY OF THEM, SEVİLAY YÜKSELİR DIDN'T EVEN COME"

I had seen Nagehan Alçı, Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı, Cem Küçük, Veyis Ateş. They were not my guests. I didn't invite any of them. Sevilay Yükselir didn't even come to the hotel.

Fatih Altaylı asked Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, "Who invited them to the hotel, Cihan Ekşioğlu?" Korkmaz gave the following answer:

“That is not a subject that concerns me. Let my investigative journalist brothers ask that too. Why should I say? I can't say anything about whether they were staying at the hotel with their money or whose guests they were. I don't know.

There weren't just journalists, there were others too. I didn't know Veyis Ateş, I saw him there for the first time in my life. Nagehan Alçı and Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı too...

I know Cem Küçük, by the way, if it were my hotel, Cem Küçük couldn't stay. People knowing someone doesn't mean their ideas align with them. You can say hello to people, but you don't establish a relationship beyond hello with those people.

"THE LAND REGISTRY OFFICE WROTE ZERO ON THE TITLE DEED"

While applying to the land registry office, we will pay 35 million Euros. The land registry office said, 'We cannot accept 35 million Euros, the fair value of this place is 60 million TL, but we can write 120 million TL.'

I bought it for 35 million Euros, how are you going to write 120 million TL? I said I didn't accept this.

I need to pay the tax to the state in full. Show me one company that does this.

I am having the document of the 35 million Euros converted to TL by the bank annotated to the land registry office. The land registry office writes zero on the title deed. The lady there (the gentleman's daughter) also says, 'They sold the hotel for free, they seized my hotel.'

After I bought the hotel, I stayed in Istanbul for 1 year. If someone has seized your hotel, you file a lawsuit. I go and give a statement.

When I get arrested, the Paramount Hotel starts to be talked about. 'They seized my hotel,' she says.

HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JOURNALISTS IN TURKEY

“Being friends is one thing. Being acquaintances is another thing. A friend is something more special. I can know a journalist, but a friend is something else. I know Cem Küçük, Ahmet Hakan, but they are not my friends. All the people who come to my office are social democrat people.”

CALLING SEVİLAY YÜKSELİR 'SISTER'

I saw two types of people. Arrogant people who are victims of ego and those who wage war against them. For me, both you and Sevilay Yükselir are in the category of people who wage war against them.

I said I know Ahmet Hakan, I didn't say Ahmet Abi. Do you understand what I mean?

Sevilay Yükselir is more of a 'delikanlı' (stand-up person) than 100 people I know who say they are 'delikanlı'.

The reason Sevilay Yükselir is being attacked is not me. It was Sevilay Yükselir herself. They wanted to attack her. Baran was there, they said let's attack through him.”