Turkish public prosecutor’s office has expanded the investigation into corruption and money laundering against Ahbap, the well-known charity founded by the Turkish rock singer Haluk Levent, which has so far led to the arrest of at least 42 suspects accused of raising and channelling funds for purposes other than those stated, sparking a major scandal in the country.
As part of the investigation into alleged corruption against the Ahbap Association, a further 14 suspects have been arrested in recent hours, bringing the total number of people taken into custody to 42 so far, whilst four companies have been placed under the control of court-appointed administrators, according to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. The investigation suggests that Berkant Acil, Haluk Levent’s brother and one of the main figures implicated, secured contracts using a front company, subsequently inflating expenses by issuing false invoices.
The investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into the corruption allegations against Ahbap led last week to the arrest of several suspects, including the organisation’s president, the singer Haluk Levent himself. The charges brought by the prosecution include – according to local press reports – “forming an organisation for the purpose of committing crimes, money laundering of proceeds of crime, and breaching the Tax Procedure Law and the Law on Associations”.
Whilst the interrogations of the suspects continue at police stations, the prosecutor’s office has in recent hours ordered a new operation during which the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie, through its anti-smuggling and organised crime unit, carried out raids in Istanbul province as well as in the provinces of Izmir, Kocaeli and Muğla, resulting in 14 further arrests. Consequently, the total number of people arrested to date in the investigation – which initially involved 25 suspects – has risen to 42. Furthermore, it has emerged that three of the individuals subject to arrest warrants were in fact already in prison for other offences.
The singer’s brother inflated expenses using false invoices to launder money
The latest operation was carried out on the basis of new findings and evidence added to the prosecution’s file; according to the prosecution’s case, Berkant Acil, Haluk Levent’s brother, is alleged to have secured the contract for a festival held in Şile – a town on the Black Sea coast near Istanbul – organised by the local municipality through a direct award procedure, using the company Sur Müzik Yapım (Sur Music Productions) as a front company.
Investigations established that the award via direct contracting to that company involved irregularities; furthermore, those involved are alleged to have inflated expenses relating to the stage, lighting and sound systems using false invoices, as confirmed by reports drawn up by financial experts.
The public prosecutor’s office is also reported to have established that part of the donations made to the Ahbap Association, chaired by Haluk Levent, were transferred to the personal account of Yeliz Kaya, Haluk Levent’s personal assistant. Subsequently, 125,765,000 Turkish liras (more than 2.34 million euros) were transferred to accounts held by Berkant Acil – Levent’s brother – and other related individuals and companies, which is alleged to have enabled them to obtain illicit gains and divert the donations to purposes other than those for which they had been made.
Haluk Levent lost over 7 million euros gambling in casinos
Just in the last few hours, controversial images have come to light which appear to show Haluk Levent playing roulette in a casino. It has emerged that the Turkish singer placed bets between 2020 and 2026 totalling the staggering sum of 990 million Turkish liras (around 18.44 million euros), of which he lost 390 million liras (7.26 million euros) whilst gambling.
Levent was already among the 22 people initially arrested in the operation – it has been reported that, suspecting he was to be arrested, he attempted to flee the country by yacht from Izmir – and remains in police custody pending his appearance before the public prosecutor. He faces charges of misuse of funds from the association, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation.
This investigation comes just weeks after Haluk Levent was convicted in another case relating to charges of issuing bounced cheques, an offence for which a court fined him approximately 70 million liras (1.3 million euros) and banned him from issuing any further cheques. A well-known figure in the Turkish music scene since the 1990s, Haluk Levent is an Anatolian rock singer-songwriter best known for founding the humanitarian NGO Ahbap, established in 2017, which gained widespread recognition for its work raising funds for the victims following the earthquakes that devastated the south-east of the country on 6 February 2023, causing more than 53,000 deaths.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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