45 suspects referred to courthouse in Ahbap Association investigation

In the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the Ahbap Association, 45 of the 48 detained suspects have been referred to the courthouse. As part of the investigation, a simultaneous operation was carried out on September 7 in 20 provinces, centered in Istanbul, to apprehend 53 suspects.

While 48 people were detained during the operations, 3 of the suspects were released following their procedures at the police station. The remaining 45 suspects were taken to the courthouse in the morning hours.

It was stated that the investigation file includes the examination of Ministry of Interior inspector reports, special audit reports, the association's financial records and inventory, bank transactions, expert reports, and the statements of suspects who benefited from effective remorse provisions.

The examinations determined that 4.3 billion lira in donations were collected to be delivered to earthquake victims between February 6 and December 31, 2023, that 4.2 billion lira of this amount was spent, and 950 million lira was withdrawn in cash. It was noted that one of the cash withdrawals was 500 million lira in a single transaction.

FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS UNDER SCRUTINY

It was determined that a total of 1 billion 757 million 547 thousand 770 lira was transferred to 29 companies and 7 sole proprietorships as part of the investigation. It was reported that there were findings indicating that some high-amount expenditures did not correspond to any purchase of goods or services, that personal gain was obtained from the transportation of aid, and that some aid was delivered to public institutions in smaller quantities than stated on the invoices.

It was assessed that more than 2 billion lira of the donations were spent on housing projects, but this amount was considered suspicious when the number and quality of the houses and schools built were taken into account. It was reported that an expert committee formed within the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change TOKİ General Directorate is conducting work that includes on-site inspections regarding housing and school expenditures.

The file also contains information that more than 1 billion lira of the collected donations was used for the purchase of goods and services. It was determined that tents, wheelchairs, electric bicycles, stationery products, and various aid materials procured for earthquake victims were left unused in warehouses in Izmit. It was learned that proceedings have been initiated to deliver these materials to their rightful recipients.

News Source: 12punto