Hakan Ateş met with Fatih Terim, Arda Turan, and Emre Belözoğlu on the 28th floor

A significant development has occurred in the Seçil Erzan case, which remains a prominent topic in the public eye.

According to a report by Musa Kesler from the Hürriyet newspaper, Ateş stated the following in his testimony: 

"Seçil Erzan is our branch manager. My first personal acquaintance with her was in 2019, when I attended an invitation from Fatih Terim at the club in Florya. Since the Galatasaray Club was working with Denizbank at the time, I accepted this invitation. After that, I had no contact with her, neither by phone nor in person. Even if I had, it would be a natural situation given that I am the CEO.

In the subsequent process, I first saw Erzan on April 9, 2023, in a meeting room on the 18th floor of the headquarters. Specifically, on April 7, Tanju Kaya (one of the bank executives) told me that two separate complainants had money in the bank, but that this money had been taken by Seçil Erzan under the promise of a fund, and that they could not reach her afterward. I learned that Bülent Çeviker, İnci Çeviker, Emre Belözoğlu, and Volkan Bahçekapılı were the complainants.

EMRE BELÖZOĞLU AND ARDA TURAN CONSULTED FATIH TERIM

In the evening, Fatih Terim called my personal phone, stating that he was coming from Bodrum, that he was fasting, and that he wanted to meet with me that evening. We agreed to meet at the headquarters a day later. Terim came to the headquarters (on April 8) with Arda Turan and Emre Belözoğlu. We met in my office on the 28th floor.

Emre and Arda spoke of very large figures, saying they had given millions of dollars in cash to Seçil Erzan. Emre Belözoğlu and Arda Turan stated that they had consulted Fatih Terim before giving money to Seçil Erzan. They expressed that Terim had told them he saw Seçil Erzan as his own daughter and that they could trust her. Fatih Terim confirmed these conversations at that moment.

'I TOLD SEÇİL ERZAN TO TELL THE TRUTH'

(The next day) I received detailed information by phone. I arrived at the headquarters around 18:00 in the evening. I stayed in the meeting room where Erzan was for at most 5-10 minutes. Tanju Kaya had stated that he could not reach a conclusion in his meetings with Seçil Erzan, that figures were being thrown around, that Erzan was not providing consistent information, and that although they had gone to her residence to retrieve documents, they still could not reach definitive results.

I went to Erzan and used phrases like, 'Get well soon, tell the truth, let people not be victimized.' The word 'embezzlement' definitely did not come out of my mouth. I just wanted her to tell the truth. After 2019, I saw Erzan for the first and last time on April 9, 2023, for a duration of 5 to 10 minutes. Neither I nor any of my staff deprived her of her liberty. I made no statements regarding her using the word 'embezzlement' in the testimonies she would give after the incident came to light. I did not pressure her. I made suggestions for her to tell the truth. I did not even see the documents that Seçil Erzan brought."