Breaking News... Operation against Can Holding: 121 companies, including Habertürk and Show TV, seized!

As part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, detention warrants have been issued for a total of 10 people, including Can Holding executives Mehmet Şakir Can, Kemal Can, and Kenan Tekdağ.

ALLEGATIONS OF "CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION" AND "MONEY LAUNDERING"

The suspects face charges of "establishing a criminal organization," "smuggling," "fraud," and "money laundering." Following the prosecutor's instructions, a trustee was appointed to 121 companies under Can Holding, including Habertürk and Show TV, as part of the operation.

KENAN TEKDAĞ DETAINED AT HIS HOME

It was reported that Kenan Tekdağ, one of the holding's executives, was detained at his home, and the other suspects were also taken into custody by law enforcement.

It was learned that further details regarding the investigation will be shared in the coming hours.

ACQUIRED FROM CINER

Can Holding acquired all shares in Ciner Yayın Holding in recent months, bringing it under its structure. Consequently, channels such as Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT also came under the holding's umbrella.

The Can Group, which took over Ciner Yayın Holding, was also the owner of educational institutions such as Bilgi University and Doğa Colleges.

The holding's portfolio also includes Energy fuel stations, the Golden Hill Hotel, and Mediza Hospital. In addition, it carries out investments in concrete plants and logistics.

Gendarmerie teams launched searches at the Can Holding Headquarters as well as many companies affiliated with the holding in the morning hours.

WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF CAN HOLDING?

The founder of the holding, Zamanhan Can, was born in Doğubeyazıt in 1952.

According to information on the company's website, Can made his first registration with the chamber of commerce in 1972 by establishing his trading company under the title "Zamanhan Can." During that period, he began conducting export and import activities between Turkey and neighboring countries. In addition, he entered the tourism sector and opened his first fuel station.

By 1993, the holding earned the title of "Turkey's Largest Fuel Station Operator" with "Enerji Petrol," which was founded in Istanbul. In the same year, it also took a step into international oil and derivatives trading.

In early 2022, the holding purchased Doğa College, which has more than 100 campuses and approximately 60 thousand students across Turkey.

As of 2023, in addition to its Çerkezköy facility, it expanded its production capacity for white goods, televisions, small home appliances, air conditioners, and cooling devices with factories opened in Lüleburgaz and Mersin. These products were introduced to the market under the Awox, Seikon, Telefox, and Energia brands.

In recent times, Kemal Can had been in charge of the holding's management.

CINER'S EXIT FROM MEDIA

Turgay Ciner left the media sector in December 2024 by transferring all his shares, including Habertürk and Show TV, to the Can Group. In a statement made by Can Holding during that process, the following expressions were used:

"A contract has been signed for the share transfer between the Park Group and Ciner Yayın Holding. We thank the Park Group for their courtesy during this process. After the transfer procedures are completed, our investments in the media sector will be managed under the leadership of Ciner Yayın Holding Chairman of the Board, Mr. Mehmet Kenan Tekdağ."

CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE ISSUED A STATEMENT

In the statement made by the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the operation, the following was noted:

"Within the scope of the judicial investigation conducted by our Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; it has been determined that an organization was established to commit crimes through companies operating under Can Holding, and that multi-faceted actions were carried out through this organization regarding qualified fraud, tax evasion, the introduction of funds of unknown origin into company accounts, and the laundering of proceeds from crime.

Within the scope of the investigation initiated with reports from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and audit reports prepared by financial inspection units; it was determined that large amounts of money of unknown origin were deposited through companies operating under Can Holding, attempts were made to hide the traces of this money by transferring it between various companies, and tax obligations were reduced through unbilled transactions and the issuance of forged documents.

It is understood that the criminal organization established under the holding structure acted under the leadership of Kemal Can and Mehmet Şakir Can, making it difficult for audit and tracking mechanisms by establishing numerous companies in the same fields of activity, distributing responsibility among organization members by making changes to boards of directors, and thereby aiming to evade legal sanctions.

In addition; it was evaluated that cash capital increases were made in companies without commercial activity, that debts to partners were shown as the source of capital increases, that these debts did not reflect the truth, that the amounts seen in the debts to partners account were re-invested in the company within the scope of the Asset Peace Law No. 7256, and that these transactions constituted the inclusion and laundering of proceeds from crime into the system in a manner contrary to the purpose of the law.

In line with the findings obtained from MASAK reports; it is understood that the criminal organization expanded its commercial volume through illegal income obtained from predicate offenses such as qualified fraud, smuggling, and opposition to the Tax Procedure Law, and that company acquisitions, share transfers, and investment activities in strategic sectors such as education, media, finance, and energy were directly financed with proceeds of crime, and that the organization aimed to both increase its economic power and gain legitimacy in the eyes of the public through this way.

As a result of the holistic evaluation of the financial movements detected by MASAK reports, it was revealed that the suspects both laundered the gains they obtained through illegal means by directing them to different sectors and tried to obtain a fake reputation and power in economic life.

Within the scope of the operation, the assets of 121 companies were seized, the TMSF was appointed as trustee, and detention warrants were issued for 10 suspects.

The investigation initiated against these types of criminal acts that damage public order, the financial system, and tax justice is being carried out meticulously in all its aspects in light of MASAK reports and the evidence obtained, and developments regarding the judicial process will be shared with the public transparently."

News Source: 12punto