Türkiye
Court jails five suspects, among them a former İzmir council secretary general, in the inquiry into Halk TV owner Cafer Mahiroğlu
Developing
- What happened
- A court jailed five of the eight people detained in the second wave of the bribery, bid-rigging and money-laundering investigation into Halk TV’s owner Cafer Mahiroğlu.
- Why it matters
- Prosecutors allege a company set up in İzmir in 2021 won rigged city tenders whose money funded Halk TV; the channel has already been put under a trustee and taken off air.
- What’s next
- Three suspects were released under judicial control. Mahiroğlu is one of four suspects who are abroad, Diken reported.
How this story developed
- 20:55First report
- 21:052nd source
- 21:05Confirmed
- 22:49+2 outlets in 47 min
- 20:55First reportA Haber
- 21:052nd sourceCumhuriyet
- 21:05ConfirmedWas: Single source
- 22:49Latest+2 outlets in 47 minDiken and Sözcü
Full story
Friday’s decisions
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Cafer Mahiroğlu, the owner of the television channel Halk TV, on charges of bribery, bid rigging and laundering the proceeds of crime. Eight people detained in the inquiry’s second wave were sent to court on Friday after giving statements to prosecutors.
Prosecutors asked for six of them to be jailed pending trial, Cumhuriyet and Diken reported. The court jailed five and released the other three under judicial control, according to A Haber, Sözcü and the state news agency AA.
Sözcü said the detentions had come in simultaneous raids in Eskişehir, İzmir, Ankara and Istanbul. It named among those jailed Ramazan Tezcan, a former secretary general of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Haluk Harun Tuzsuzoğlu, a former head of the municipality’s machinery supply department, Mehmet Meral, a controller in that department, and İbrahim Tuncol. Doruk Bulut, a former CHP district chair in Silivri who was already in jail in a separate inquiry, was also jailed in this one, Sözcü said.
Filiz Bulut, an office worker at a company called Bustech, İbrahim Seyfittinoğlu, a partner in Maker and Zafer İnşaat, and Bustech’s project manager Murat Topuz were released under judicial control.
What prosecutors allege
According to the allegations reported by Sözcü and Diken, Bustech Araç Bakım Onarım Hizmetleri A.Ş. was set up in İzmir in 2021 as a front and won irregular tenders. The money is alleged to have funded Halk TV, the textile firm Özdemir Üç Tekstil, other companies and personal accounts, and to have been moved through accounts several times in quick succession to launder it.
“Cafer Mahiroğlu had BUSTECH Araç Bakım Onarım Hizmetleri A.Ş. set up in İzmir in 2021 and had it win irregular tenders. In this way he funded Halk TV, Özdemir Üç Tekstil, his other companies and his personal accounts.”
Investigation summary, as quoted by Diken, Diken(translated)
Statements from a secret witness and from suspects who sought leniency say that after Mahiroğlu bought Halk TV, tenders for vehicle maintenance, cleaning and mask purchases were won from İzmir Metropolitan Municipality so the channel would not run into financial trouble, and that officials were paid bribes by hand in foreign currency and lira.
The first wave and Halk TV
In the first wave on 14 October, detention warrants were issued for 17 people including Mahiroğlu, Diken reported. Four of them, Mahiroğlu among them, are abroad; five of the 13 who were detained were jailed. Eight more people were detained in the second wave on 10 November.
A trustee has been appointed to run Halk TV as part of the investigation and the channel’s broadcasts have been stopped, Diken said. A Haber described Mahiroğlu as a fugitive. None of the reports carried a response from Mahiroğlu or his lawyers to the allegations.
