Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek made a statement about the operation against the Alihan Kuriş criminal organization.
Minister Gürlek; In his post on his social media account, he noted that the Republic of Turkey's fight against criminal organizations and gangs continues determinedly within the framework of the principles of the rule of law, regardless of who they are or under what guise they operate.
"THE BASIC CRITERIA HERE IS NOT ANY BELIEF"
Gürlek included the following statements in his post:
"Necessary steps are being taken against structures that commit crimes by exploiting the beliefs and religious feelings of our citizens and gain unfair profits in this way. The Alihan Kuriş criminal organization is one of the examples of the struggle carried out in this context. The main criterion here is not the identity of any belief, religious structure or community, but the criminal acts and the structures associated with these acts. Faith and religious values cannot be turned into a tool or shield of criminal activities in any way. Our state is determined to fight against acts that are clearly considered crimes by law, and the faith of our citizens." "It remains determined to protect freedom of worship."
32 SUSPECTS WERE ARRESTED
Alihan Kuriş criminal organization investigation is being carried out by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Alihan Kuriş's profit-oriented criminal organization investigation focuses not on any social or religious activity area, but on whether the alleged structure operates as a hierarchical and economic interest-oriented criminal structure.
The 49 suspects mentioned in the investigation are accused of corruption, money laundering, and creating unusual cash movements through companies with high capital.
In this context, the first operation was carried out on the morning of August 13. Simultaneous police raids took place at addresses determined in 17 cities centered in Ankara.
Police forces detained 38 suspects, including Kuriş. The suspects who were detained on August 13 in the Kuriş investigation were sent to the courthouse on the morning of August 16.
32 of 38 suspects, including Alihan Kuriş, were arrested. House arrest was ordered for six suspects.
The names decided to be arrested are as follows: Alihan Kuriş, Fahri Candemir, Süleyman Kahraman, Recep Okumuşlar, Şeref Toprak, Mehmet Hilmi Molla, Nezih Murat Büyükgöze, Metin Güer, Hilmi Şenol, Süleyman Hilmi Dinç, Yunus Aslan, Muharrem Hilmi Akbulut, Mehmet Aksu, Muhammed Dağ, Mehmet Bozpınar, Mehmet Akbacakoğlu, Ahmet Şimşek, Abdulkerim. Emrah, İsa Çardak, Cevat Bağcı, Zeki Altınel, Hüseyin Türker, Mehmet Kurban, Mehmet Tekin, Mustafa Gökduman, Hamza Deniz, Kazım Per, Ahmet Uğur Pakcan, Rıdvan Erdal, Zübeyr Özcan, Hayrullah Uusl, Muhammet Karaköse.
Names sentenced to house arrest: Yusuf Büyükgöze, Ahmet Gökcen, Ömer Yılmaz, Ahmet Efe, Selman Süleyman Keşkekçi, İsmail Hakkı Akgün.
