İrem Helvacıoğlu's prosecutor statement: I learned it from association officials

Actress İrem Helvacıoğlu gave a statement at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan as part of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the Ahbap Association.

In her statement, İrem Helvacıoğlu said, "If I remember correctly, I met the person named Haluk Levent during the forest fire that occurred in İzmir in 2021. I know that he was active in the Ahbap Association at that time. I had provided aid for the animals living in the forest during that fire. I do not remember how much financial aid I provided at the moment. I do not have any personal closeness with him either. I have not seen him at all for about 2-3 years. After 2021, I also had meetings with him during the February 6 earthquake period. As can be seen in television programs during the February 6 earthquake period, I was involved in the aid activities of the AFAD institution. I did not provide any financial aid to the Ahbap Association during the February 6 earthquake period. To explain briefly; regarding the basic needs of earthquake survivor citizens in the earthquake zone, for example, items such as diapers, I would contact diaper manufacturing companies, and for instance, within the scope of the reported diaper need in Hatay, I would negotiate with the company, agree on a price for the amount they had on hand, and report the IBAN I received from the company and the amount I had agreed upon to the association officials. They would then contact the relevant company and hold meetings for the purchase of the needed items, and in this way, they would be sent to the earthquake zones by the company. I was involved in such activities," she said.

'WE LEARNED FROM THEIR OFFICIALS'

Helvacıoğlu stated, "During the February 6 earthquake period, because many people were volunteering within the scope of the Ahbap Association's aid activities, they had arranged a place that was like a hotel meeting hall to meet instant aid needs and establish contact, and I was there too. Many people had divided the work there. Among them, there were those who acted in many groups, such as those who held meetings regarding food needs, those who worked for clothing and similar needs, and those who tried to find body bags for those who died in the earthquake zone. The February 6 earthquake is a natural disaster that deeply affected our country. For this reason, I tried to keep up with all aid organizations, including our state institutions, rather than focusing on who manages any association or how it is managed. I would like to state this point; whether the provided aid reached its destination or not is not something that I or people like me who are involved in aid activities could know. We learned that it reached its destination entirely based on the information provided to us by the association's officials. Sometimes we could also understand it from the messages that earthquake survivors sent me via my social media account," she said.

'I STRIVED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT'

Helvacıoğlu said, "I have definitely never had a post or statement targeting any state institution. On the contrary, I tried as much as I could to provide support to state-owned institutions such as the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and AFAD. As a result of these investigations, I learned that the Ahbap Association was acting for a purpose other than its activities. This situation saddened me very much. Because such institutions should have one activity, and that is helping people. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize this point: I have never had any financial gain during the Ahbap Association's aid activities due to the February 6 earthquake. I would not accept such a thing anyway. If they have used the financial aid resources that should have reached people truly in need for their own purposes as a result of the investigation, I sincerely wish for them to be punished."

News Source: 12punto