Ahmet Saymadi arrested: Harsh words and a series of questions from Ahmet Şık to Akın Gürlek

Ahmet Saymadi, a member of the Party Assembly of the Socialist Re-establishment Party (SYKP), has been arrested following his detention after a search of his business, Kadim Meyhane, in Beyoğlu, Istanbul.

It was stated that Saymadi was detained after a search conducted by Narcotics Branch teams on the night of Saturday, October 3, and was referred to Çağlayan Courthouse following police procedures. After appearing before the judge, Saymadi was arrested following his defense.

In a statement on his social media account, Saymadi argued that no criminal elements were found during the search of his workplace. Claiming that the process against him was initiated due to his closeness to TİP İstanbul MP Ahmet Şık, Saymadi stated, “I was arrested in connection with a matter I have absolutely no involvement in (Turkish Penal Code Art. 190).”

Nothing was found during the search of my workplace; no issues were encountered with our staff or even our customers. Despite this, I was detained; I provided blood, urine, and hair samples.

REACTION FROM ŞIK: ‘I AM STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU’

Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) Istanbul MP Ahmet Şık also reacted by quoting Saymadi’s post. Şık, who announced that he is a partner with Saymadi, addressed Akın Gürlek, saying, “Take your hands off my family, my friends, and my associates. I am standing right in front of you.”

In his post, Şık alleged that the accusation against Saymadi was “hollow.” Arguing that no criminal elements were found during the search and that the identity checks (GBT) conducted on everyone, including customers, yielded no issues, Şık claimed that Saymadi was targeted because of his friendship with him.

Şık also stated that questions regarding money transfers between him and Saymadi were brought up, explaining that this was related to credit card payments used for business expenses. Şık stated, “Let me announce it here: Ahmet and I are partners.”

Continuing his post, Şık directed a series of questions to Akın Gürlek, demanding explanations regarding the fund investigation, portfolio companies, Capital Markets Board (SPK) processes, title deed records, and alleged meetings with certain individuals. Şık stated that he would continue to share his allegations on the subject with the public.

I am addressing Akın Gürlek, who believes that the power he obtained thanks to the seat he was placed in—not for merit, but for a highly controversial loyalty—is limitless: Take your hands off my family, my friends, and my associates. I am standing right in front of you. Deal with me so we can see if the person I am fighting is honorable or not... This post might look personal. However, I am sharing with the public who will be responsible for any kind of evil that might happen to me, my family, and my friends. And I will continue to share it. On the other hand, since the subject is related to the fund robbery involving names from the AKP and state bureaucracy, there is no doubt that it has political and social aspects above all else. After the fund robbery was exposed, a fierce attack was launched after I began to announce the information/allegations I obtained on the subject, first through parliamentary questions and then via social media. Furkan Torlak, one of the advisors to the Minister of Justice, who set up a troll+media manipulation cesspool under the fake identity of Mehmet Kap, unleashed the trolls he holds the leash of, the pro-government media members, and when these proved insufficient, he activated some names he bought from the market of those who appear to be opposition figures and whose “reputation is as much as his own.” Honestly, there is no one worth answering. I consider it beneath me to respond to the allegations made against me by targeting my family as well. However, Ahmet Saymadi, whose friendship I have never doubted, was arrested today as part of these attacks. This friendship, which has spanned many years and has been tested in bad times we have faced many times, is now being tested once again with a hollow drug accusation. On Saturday, a raid was conducted by narcotics teams on his tavern named Kadim, based on claims that I am a partner with Ahmet Saymadi, who has been a restaurant operator for years. The justification was a fake email tip-off alleging “drug supply and use” at the venue in question. It is not hard to guess who had this tip-off made to whom! During the search, no criminal elements related to the allegations were found, and the identity checks (GBT) performed on everyone that night, including customers, came back clean. In other words, a report was filed stating that no criminal elements were found. Despite this, Ahmet Saymadi was detained solely because he is my friend. After being detained for 2 days, Ahmet Saymadi, who was referred to the prosecutor's office with the fraudulent accusation of “providing a place for drug use,” was arrested by the Criminal Judgeship of Peace. The question regarding the money transfers between us via bank transfer in the MASAK investigation into his financial accounts reveals the main target and purpose. Ahmet Saymadi was asked what the transfers he sent to me were. Let me repeat here what Ahmet told the prosecutor and the judge: My high-limit credit card was used for purchasing goods for the venue he operates, and when the payment day came, he paid me back the amount he used. The credit card account statements obtained from the bank were also submitted to the court. When it was understood that no accusation would come out of this, they arrested Ahmet with an email tip-off of unknown origin but known by those who had it sent. Let me announce it here: Ahmet and I are partners. We are not among those you have taken hostage and surrendered through threats and intimidation, nor are we among those wandering around with the appearance of trolls and journalists who you know how much to buy. In other words, this comradeship does not resemble your criminal partnership based on personal interests. We have a partnership in struggle and comradeship against those who corrupt the state and turn it into a mafia, those who establish a gang order through the positions they hold, those who continue to lie shamelessly while everything happens in front of everyone's eyes, and those who are determined to extort every last penny in the citizen's pocket through commissions from tenders, bribes received in investigations and lawsuits, or fund robberies. Now let us ask Akın Gürlek: -Do you have shell companies established abroad in the names of yourself, other relatives, and some names in your close circle, related to offshore-linked accounts? -Have large-scale transactions been made through these companies from the portfolio investment companies mentioned in the fund robbery investigation under the guise of “foreign investor”? -The SPK management, which fined Tera Portfolio Management Company approximately 9 million for manipulative transactions a few months before the fund robbery was exposed, did not take any preventive/supervisory action after that. If there is no conflict of interest, is it not a conflict of interest for you to be at the head of the judiciary conducting the investigation while your spouse is in the SPK management, which is the institution that is supposed to prevent/supervise such robberies and is suspected of at least “negligence/misconduct of duty” if there is no conflict of interest? -Have you met with the detained suspects of the fund robbery investigation, Emre Tezmen, Muhammed Yarız, and Erdin Özel, in certain hotels in Istanbul in 2024, 2025, and 2026 since your time as Deputy Minister of Justice? What are the dates, locations, purposes, and contents of the meetings? -New Party Chairman Özgür Özel announced that there are 16 separate real estates registered in your name. In your statement, you said you have 4 title deeds. However, will you disclose the passive title deed records that include all the real estate purchases and sales you have made from the past to the present? -Did you request the deletion of these passive records from the relevant ministry? Did you receive the response from the high-level official at the relevant ministry that “it has not been possible to delete them for 200 years, therefore it is impossible to delete them”? -While our questions at this link https://t.co/Z4oRydS8tY remain valid, let us repeat; are you aware of the crimes committed by your advisor Furkan Torlak, together with the troll+media manipulation gang under the fake identity of Mehmet Kap?

— AHMET ŞIK (@ahmetsahmets) October 5, 2026