Testimony of Süleymancı leader Alihan Kuriş revealed: He disclosed his monthly income and addressed the gold found

The prosecutor's testimony of Alihan Kuriş, known to the public as the leader of the Süleymancı community and recently arrested on charges including "corruption" and "money laundering," has been revealed.

While Kuriş stated that his monthly income is 380,000 Turkish Lira, he was questioned about his three-story house, land and office shares, and corporate partnerships.

"THE GOLD FOUND IN MY HOME CONSISTS OF MY WIFE'S WEDDING JEWELRY AND OUR PERSONAL ORNAMENTS"

Kuriş stated that in addition to the real estate inherited from his father, he owns shares in an office building in Erenler, Sakarya, a three-story house in Çamlıca, approximately 450 square meters of land in Kısıklı shared with family members, and a 2008 model Mercedes automobile.

Stating that he has approximately 650,000 TL in his bank account as far as he can recall, Kuriş expressed that he does not accept the charges.

"I do not accept the charges; I have not given orders or instructions to anyone regarding the accusations directed at me. My average income is around 380,000 TL. These are salary payments I receive from the company and rental income. Hilmi Tuna Kuriş is my brother, and our joint commercial activities continue.

I know the person named Fahri Candemir from foundation activities. He also oversees the maintenance services for my grandfather's grave. For this reason, my brother and I make small payments for this maintenance. The person named Osman Aslanali is my neighbor from Istanbul.

The gold found in my home consists of my wife's wedding jewelry and our personal ornaments. They are jewelry items given as gifts to my children. All of these are my family's savings."

Kuriş also claimed that he holds a 51 percent stake in Altun Mimarlık İnşaat and previously held a 49 percent stake in ELF Yapı.

PARTNERSHIP IN Arden Gıda QUESTIONED

Arden Gıda, where Kuriş was previously a partner and later transferred his shares to his brother Hilmi Tuna Kuriş, also occupied a significant place in his testimony.

According to information in the MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) report, Arden Gıda's banking transaction volume between 2017 and 2026 reached 6 billion 520 million 264 thousand TL.

The company's gross sales for 2025 were seen to be 1 billion 575 million TL. The years 2020 and 2022 stood out in terms of purchase and sales volumes.

During the same period, it was recorded that 76 million 537 thousand TL in cash was deposited into Arden Gıda's accounts, and approximately 52 million 381 thousand TL in transfers were made through electronic money and payment institutions.

It was stated that approximately 52 million 374 thousand TL of these transfers consisted of 273 transactions carried out via SİPAY.

One of Arden Gıda's high-volume commercial relationships was with Akdeniz Toros Et ve Et Mamulleri.

In bank records for the period between 2017 and June 2026, the transaction volume between the two companies was seen to be approximately 339.6 million TL. It was noted that Arden Gıda's purchase of goods and services from this firm in 2025 alone reached 391 million 215 thousand TL.

Kuriş was also asked about the executives of Akdeniz Toros. Kuriş said, "I am a customer of their products; other than that, I have no information, I do not know their executives."

Regarding his shares in Arden Gıda, he provided the following defense:

"As can be seen in the official records, I transferred all of my shares in the aforementioned Arden Gıda in July 2021. All the data mentioned and interpreted in the MASAK report belongs to the year 2023 and later."

Kuriş argued that the transactions alleged to be irregular took place in 2022 and later, and therefore it was impossible for him to have knowledge or witness of the transactions in question.

EXPLANATION REGARDING THE GOLD FOUND AT HOME

During the search conducted at Kuriş's residence on August 13, a large amount of gold and jewelry was seized.

Kuriş was asked about the source of the gold and why it was kept in his home.

Kuriş stated that a portion of the jewelry consisted of items given at his wedding, and another portion consisted of items given as gifts to his children.

Kuriş made the defense on this matter as well, saying, "All of these are my family's savings."

3 MILLION DOLLAR PROMISSORY NOTE ALSO QUESTIONED

One of the documents that drew attention during the search of Kuriş's home was a 3-million-dollar promissory note dated January 29, 2021.

Alihan Kuriş was listed as the creditor on the note, and Osman Aslanali as the debtor.

Kuriş stated that Aslanali was "his neighbor from Istanbul" and claimed that there was no commercial relationship between them.

When questioned about the 3-million-dollar note, Kuriş said that they were considering a real estate sale with Aslanali. Kuriş argued that the note was a "collateral note regarding a real estate sale," but stated that the sale did not take place.

HE DENIED THE "ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE" ALLEGATION

Kuriş was also asked about the testimony of Rüstem Şahin, which was included in the investigation file.

Şahin had alleged that Kuriş exerted pressure on members of the Süleymancı community, especially the managers of commercial institutions and dormitories, regarding "absolute obedience," and that this pressure was increased through people close to Kuriş.

Kuriş, on the other hand, denied these allegations, stating that he did not know Rüstem Şahin.

"I absolutely do not accept this statement. It is a slander cast against me, a product of imagination."

In his prosecutor's testimony, Kuriş defined himself as an "opinion leader."

When shown a list of names consisting of approximately 50 people, Kuriş claimed that he "did not know" most of the people on the list.

He described some of the names with expressions such as "hocaefendi" (revered teacher), "preacher," "person working at the foundation," or "person I know from my social circle."

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SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek and Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi state that the investigation is not related to religious activities.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also stated that the investigation is being conducted over suspicious financial transactions.

In this context, 32 companies were identified that are considered to have financial and commercial connections with the structure characterized as a criminal organization.

Among the companies in question are Armine Giyim, Ayakkabı Dünyası, and Verona Ev Tekstil, as well as companies operating in different sectors such as construction, food, jewelry, maritime, and education.

It was also alleged that large amounts of money were transferred abroad within the scope of the investigation.

In MASAK examinations, it was determined that an amount exceeding 100 billion TL was moved abroad through various methods.

Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi, in his statement on an NTV broadcast, said that after Alihan Kuriş took over the leadership in 2016, "activities began to be carried out more secretly." he said.

Çiftçi said that the community built a 70-million-dollar headquarters in Cologne and that the relocation of activities there is being evaluated.

Stating that work on the investigation had been ongoing for a long time, Çiftçi provided information regarding the preparation process of the operation.

200 KILOGRAMS OF GOLD BULLION SEIZED IN THE OPERATION

Among the names sought within the scope of the investigation is Alihan Kuriş's fugitive brother, Hilmi Tuna Kuriş.

During the operations carried out at various addresses, 200 kilograms of gold bullion of unknown origin were seized at one location.

It was announced that the market value of the seized gold is approximately 1.34 billion TL.

MONEY TRAFFIC EXCEEDING 66 BILLION TL IN MASAK REPORT

Various findings regarding financial movements were also included in the MASAK report prepared about Alihan Kuriş.

In the 168-page report, it was stated that money traffic exceeding 66 billion TL was detected in companies considered to be connected to the organization.

It was also noted in the report that there was a record of an 8-billion-TL money outflow from a single company.

Furthermore, it was stated that the source of the high-amount cash inflows needs to be clarified.

The MASAK report also included findings regarding intense connections in the money traffic between companies.

In the report, the assessment was made that "there is suspicion that the financial transactions whose source is doubted may have been carried out as a result of organized work."