Türkiye intensifies probe into Ahbap earthquake donations

Türkiye’s investigation into alleged misuse of donations collected for earthquake victims continued Friday as several well-known public figures appeared before prosecutors to give statements over their support for the Ahbap Association during the aftermath of the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes.

Actor Hazal Kaya, journalist Ruşen Çakır and broadcaster Özlem Gürses testified as part of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into allegations that donations collected on behalf of the association were transferred to the accounts of suspects and misused.

The investigation has already resulted in the arrest of 28 suspects, including Ahbap founder Haluk Levent and Babala TV founder Oğuzhan Uğur, on allegations of establishing a criminal organization, aggravated fraud and laundering proceeds of crime. After completing their testimonies, Kaya, Çakır and Gürses left the courthouse.

Prosecutors questioned Çakır over his public support for Ahbap during the earthquake response. He said he had never known Levent personally and had relied on information from fellow journalists reporting from the disaster zone, who said the association was providing significant assistance to survivors.

“I did not help collect donations in any way. The news report was simply an assessment of the situation under those circumstances. My family and I also made a modest donation to Ahbap for earthquake victims,” he said.

Çakır said he had no independent means of verifying whether the aid reached those in need and only learned through the current investigation that donations intended for earthquake victims had allegedly been used for personal purposes.

“If these allegations are true, it is deeply saddening both as a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye and as a journalist. I also donated to the association. I hope those responsible are punished as soon as possible,” he said.

Gürses told prosecutors she had never encouraged people to donate to Ahbap and had instead publicly called for both the association and Babala TV to be audited.

She said she had never met Levent personally before the earthquakes and had only appeared with him during a live broadcast from Hatay, southern Türkiye, marking the third anniversary of the disaster.

“If it is determined that my reputation, or that of other public figures, was used to collect donations, I will personally file a complaint. Exploiting the needs that emerged because of poor coordination is, at the very least, heartless,” she said.

Kaya told prosecutors that Levent had contacted her in 2020 regarding fundraising efforts for children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), although he never directly requested her support and the two never met in person.

She said she independently joined Babala TV’s live earthquake fundraising broadcast after seeing it online and stressed that no one had invited or encouraged her to participate. She added that both her appearances and social media posts were solely intended to help earthquake victims.

Kaya said, “I personally donated TL 120,000 ($2,534) to Ahbap. If our donations were indeed misused by Haluk Levent, then I am also a victim. I am deeply saddened that our trust has been violated. I want to know where my donation went, and if necessary, I will exercise my legal right to file a complaint,” she said.

Referring to reports about Levent’s defense, Kaya described the allegations as “horrifying,” adding that if donations had been spent on gambling and betting, it would be “a despicable act.”

According to investigators, reports prepared by Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), analyses of bank transactions and technical surveillance indicate that suspects carried out unusually large financial transactions inconsistent with their declared income, transferred substantial sums among themselves, used large amounts of money for gambling and betting, suffered significant gambling losses and completed numerous interconnected property transfers within a short period.

A total of 54 suspects have been detained in the investigation. 28 of them, including Levent and Uğur, were arrested, while authorities also seized the assets of the association and several suspects.

DAILYSABAH