A new development has occurred following the police operation at Halk TV's headquarters in Istanbul and the appointment of a trustee to the channel. It was reported that detention warrants were issued for 17 people as part of the investigation, and among these names is Halk TV Chairman of the Board Cafer Mahiroğlu.It was reported that he is also among those included.
Police teams arrived at Halk TV's headquarters in Istanbul in the early hours of the morning and began a search of the building. During the operation, a trustee was appointed to the channel, and the television's live broadcast was halted.
In the broadcast schedule, recorded footage of the program "Görkemli Hatıralar" (Magnificent Memories) prepared by journalist Serhan Asker, was aired.
CAFER MAHİROĞLU ANNOUNCES OPERATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Halk TV Chairman of the Board Cafer Mahiroğlu announced that police teams had entered the television building in a post on his social media account.
In his post, where he reacted to former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Mahiroğlu stated, "The 'null' leader Kılıçdaroğlu and his team can be happy. The police are at Halk TV."
NEGOTIATIONS TO CONTINUE BROADCASTING YIELD NO RESULTS
Making a statement regarding the developments after the police teams entered the channel, Halk TV programmer Deniz Bayramoğlu stated that the channel management had met with the board of trustees to ensure broadcasts continued.
Bayramoğlu said, "The meeting held by Halk TV Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş with the head of the board of trustees regarding the continuation of the broadcast yielded no results. Halk TV's broadcast has been halted." he stated.
DETENTION WARRANTS FOR 17 PEOPLE
It was reported that detention warrants were issued for 17 people in the investigation regarding the operation against Halk TV. It was stated that Cafer Mahiroğlu was among those for whom detention warrants were issued. It was reported that 11 of the 17 people for whom detention warrants were issued have been taken into custody.
The names in custody are as follows:
1. HARİKA AKKAYA
2. HASAN ÖZDEMIR
3. İBRAHIM ÖZDEMIR
4. ARMAĞAN KÜÇÜK
5. MUSTAFA ÖZDEMIR
6. HALİT AKIN
7. ALİ TURAN
8. MEDİHA BURUMOĞLU
9. MURAT KOÇAK
10. ERKAN YAĞCI
11. SÜLEYMAN ÖZEN
The name at large is as follows:
1. FATİH YADOĞLU
The names who are abroad are as follows:
1. CAFER MAHIROĞLU
2. HAKAN ARICAN
3. MEHMET NECATİ YAĞCI
4. SEVİM KUL
The name in prison is as follows:
1. DORUK BULUT
CHIEF PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE STATEMENT ON SEIZURE OF COMPANIES
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a statement regarding the companies in which Cafer Mahiroğlu is a partner, manager, or with which he is identified as having a connection.
In the Chief Prosecutor's Office's statement, “Companies identified as being ones in which Cafer Mahiroğlu is a partner, manager, or with which he is associated have been seized by the decision of the Criminal Court of Peace, and it has been decided to appoint the TMSF as trustee.” it was stated.
The full statement from the Chief Prosecutor's Office is as follows:
"Subject: Investigation into the Crimes of Bribery, Rigging Tenders, and Laundering Assets Derived from Crime
Within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Provincial Police Department's Financial Crimes Investigation Bureau under the coordination of our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the suspect Cafer MAHİROĞLU for the crimes of 'Bribery, Rigging Tenders, and Laundering Assets Derived from Crime'; data obtained by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), secret witness testimonies, suspect statements, and other information and documents within the file scope were evaluated together.
In the examinations conducted within the scope of the investigation, findings were reached that suspect Cafer MAHİROĞLU used his connections within the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to ensure the establishment of BUSTECH Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Services Joint Stock Company (Tax ID: 1911178311), transferred the management of the company to people he determined, and obtained unfair benefits through transactions carried out within the scope of municipal tenders.
In line with the statements and records within the scope of the file, it was determined that 14,464,000 TL in unregistered bribe payments were made in connection with the tender processes, payments were made at exorbitant prices above the tender values for works received through the relevant company, and the income obtained was transferred to companies belonging to or assessed to be associated with the suspect.
In the examinations conducted on the data obtained by MASAK, it was determined that the total transaction volume of the companies with which suspect Cafer MAHİROĞLU is associated as a partner or manager is 30,352,037,389.15 TL.
In the examinations conducted on the suspect's personal bank accounts, it was determined that a total of 1,062,260,003.28 TL entered the accounts through 459 separate transactions, and a total of 1,118,591,033.88 TL exited through 564 separate transactions.
In addition, money transfers made abroad through companies managed by the suspect were also taken under investigation; high-volume foreign currency-based transactions related to the relevant financial movements were detected.
In the examinations of the personal bank accounts of suspect Cafer MAHİROĞLU and his first-degree relatives, as well as the accounts of companies where he has partnership or management relationships, it was understood that there were high-amount international SWIFT money transfers and that there were discrepancies between asset acquisitions and declared income.
On the other hand, it was also understood from the file scope that there is a search warrant for suspect Cafer MAHİROĞLU for the crime of 'Rigging Tenders' within the scope of a separate investigation conducted regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and that there are findings that he went abroad on 10.03.2025.
In line with the evidence obtained within the scope of the investigation, detention warrants were issued for 17 suspects, and 11 suspects were taken into custody as a result of the simultaneous operation carried out in the morning hours of 14.10.2026. In the investigations conducted, it was determined that 4 of the suspects were abroad and 1 was in a penal institution, and efforts to apprehend 1 suspect are ongoing.
Again, companies identified as being ones in which suspect Cafer Mahiroğlu is a partner, manager, or with which he is associated have been seized by the decision of the Criminal Court of Peace, and it has been decided to appoint the TMSF as trustee.
The investigation is being continued meticulously in all its aspects.
Respectfully announced to the public."
News Source: 12punto
