New development in the Seçil Erzan case: Indictment against Denizbank CEO Hakan Ateş

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's Organized Crime Investigation Bureau with the request that it be merged with the case currently being heard at the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court, Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu were named as suspects.

The indictment lists 24 individuals, including Fatih Terim, Arda Turan, Buse Terim, Emre Belözoğlu, Emre Çolak, Fernando Muslera, and Selçuk İnan, as "complainants."

The indictment states that Seçil Erzan was the manager of a branch of Denizbank, which has 600 branches, and emphasizes that, as Erzan stated in her testimony, she was recognized as having special status, and it would not be possible for any branch manager to collect money from complainants under the name of an "illegal fund" in this manner.

The indictment notes that, for this reason, it is assessed that suspects Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu, who were in close communication and contact with some of the complainants, were aware of the "high-interest illegal fund."

The indictment states that in her testimony, Seçil Erzan indicated that the suspects were aware of the money exchanges between her and the complainants.

The indictment includes the assessment that "large amounts of money entering and leaving a bank, all employees witnessing this situation, the money entering the bank not being recorded in official customer accounts, and the money exchange taking place in the manager's office at the bank's Levent branch in front of cameras" were factors.

The indictment emphasizes that complainant Arda Turan's high-value loan transaction was expedited and carried out with the knowledge and instruction of the suspects, and that Fatih Terim's loan debt being covered by Seçil Erzan upon the instruction of Mehmet Aydoğdu also demonstrates a unity of intent and action between the suspects and Erzan.

The indictment states that, for this reason, the case should be merged with the file being heard at the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court due to legal and factual connections, so that the issue of whether the alleged fraud crime was committed in complicity can be evaluated together.

“I DO NOT ACCEPT THE ACCUSATIONS”

In the indictment, Denizbank CEO Hakan Ateş, whose testimony is included, stated that after they became aware of the fraud incident on April 7, 2023, they came to the prosecutor's office with the bank's lawyers and filed a criminal complaint.

Stating that he spoke with complainant Fatih Terim on the phone that same day and made an appointment to meet the next day, Ateş claimed that Terim came to him with complainants Turan and Belözoğlu, and he argued that he had no connection to the incident in question.

Ateş stated that he did not accept the allegations in the complaint petition filed by the representatives of complainants Selçuk İnan, Emrah Çolak, Musa Mert Çetin, and Nestor Fernando Muslera, which claimed that "Seçil Erzan established a private fund under the leadership of Denizbank AŞ CEO Hakan Ateş and Executive Board Member Mehmet Aydoğdu, and that this fund was managed by Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu."

Arguing that this matter has no basis in truth, Ateş said, "The establishment of any fund is already subject to Capital Markets Board (SPK) permission. It is out of the question for us to take any initiative in this regard. These funds are already open to the whole world via the internet. A fund that could be called a secret, hidden, or private fund is not possible, not just in our bank, but anywhere in the world. This issue is a fabrication by people who could profit from it."

Ateş stated that he did not accept the accusations against him and noted the following:

"Individuals named Fatih Terim, Arda Turan, and Emre Belözoğlu are people who can call me at any time, regardless of the hour, for even the smallest banking transaction. In fact, Fatih Terim has called me for the smallest loan issue. It is very strange that people who can call me in this way did not call and ask me before handing over the millions of dollars mentioned to the person named Seçil Erzan. Even after the money stopped being repaid, they did not report their grievances to me by calling me, until April 7."

“I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF THE FUND IN QUESTION”

Former Denizbank Deputy CEO Mehmet Aydoğdu stated that he is a big Galatasaray fan and said, "Denizbank is also the bank that provides the most loans to sports clubs. My name was likely mentioned in these contexts because I am a Galatasaray fan. No branch manager reports to me. I have no connection to or knowledge of the matter."

Noting that they filed a criminal complaint for "slander" due to these allegations, Aydoğdu provided the following information: "I am not a deputy CEO related to the fund; I do not know about matters related to funds. Furthermore, a fake email was created regarding me. The subject of the email was related to my approval of the fund. As a result of the investigation conducted by the necessary authorities, it was revealed that the email was fake. It was revealed that Semih Kaya used this email. We have also filed a criminal complaint regarding this."

Stating that there are 24 deputy CEOs at the bank and claiming that he had no news about the fraud in question, Aydoğdu noted the following:

"I did not have any knowledge regarding the establishment and operation of the fund in question. I know Arda Turan. I met and chatted with him at a restaurant called Bebek Balıkçısı before the events came to light. He did not tell me anything about his grievance here or anywhere else. I also saw Ayhan Akman and chatted with him in the same way. He also did not tell me anything about these grievances in any way. These meetings took place before December 2022. I saw Volkan Bahçekapılı once years ago with Fatih Terim; I saw Emre Belözoğlu after April 7. I do not know the other individuals. This fund, which is claimed to have been managed by Seçil Erzan and established by us, is not within the knowledge of our bank."

The indictment requests that Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu be sentenced to 72 to 240 years in prison each for the alleged crime of "qualified fraud" against 24 complainants.

The court panel is currently reviewing the indictment sent to the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court.