In the statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was reported that the main subject of the "Friends' criminal organization" investigation was the fate of the earthquake donations collected through the association, which did not have the status of a public benefit association after the earthquake disaster on February 6, 2023.
In the statement, it was stated that the inspector and special audit reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the association's inventory and financial records, the association's corporate will declarations containing expenditure statements, bank transactions, new statements containing confessions and all evidence were carefully examined, and it was determined that serious commodities, from hundreds of tents to wheelchairs, from electric bicycles to stationery products, to other materials of vital importance for earthquake victims, were left to rot in the warehouses of the association in Izmit.
In the light of the data obtained, the following information was shared in the statement that 4.3 billion liras of donations were collected for the association in order to be delivered to the citizens who suffered loss of life and property in the earthquake between 6 February and 31 December 2023, and 4.2 billion liras of these donations were spent:
"A large number of transactions were made between the association's own accounts, this situation did not comply with the normal aid flow character and created suspicion, 950 million lira of the collected donations were withdrawn in cash between 13 February and 25 May 2023, one of the withdrawal transactions was 500 million lira at a time, such a withdrawal volume within 3.5 months was of a size that cannot be explained as 'cash aid/expenditure in the field', how much It is not clear which expenditure item was spent, over 2 billion lira was spent on housing projects, but this amount is quite high compared to the number and quality of houses and schools built and the situation is seriously doubtful, the expert committee established within the TOKİ General Directorate of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change regarding housing and school expenditures is carrying out a detailed study covering all financial and physical examinations, including on-site inspections, and more than 1 billion lira from the collected donations is on goods and services. The purchases of goods and services are being examined by the second expert committee, and it will be clearly revealed through the expert report to be prepared whether goods or services have been purchased in return for the expenses and whether they are in accordance with commercial practices. At this stage, especially confessional statements and the expert report on the money flow between the persons from whom the goods or services were purchased and the personal accounts of the suspects, clear determinations that there is no compensation for very high amounts of expenses, those who have an organic member or accounting relationship with the association. "It is understood that the 5th wave operation involving 53 suspects was carried out on the basis of clear data that the suspects gained personal benefit from the transportation of earthquake aid by establishing a transportation company and documents showing that large parts of the aid were incomplete compared to the invoice in the minutes of the delivery of aid to public institutions."
45 suspects were detained
In the statement, it was stated that the spirit of the investigation was formed by a sacred purpose, that it was progressing in this direction with determination and clear evidence, that the social impact of the earthquake disaster was deliberately and systematically drawn to the political axis, and that the social influence area and fundraising capacity were expanded through this axis shift.
In the statement, it was underlined that the feelings of sensitive citizens who wanted to donate were exploited and that the resulting public resources were ruthlessly turned into personal interests without taking into account any moral values, and that every penny converted into personal benefit would be identified and taken back from the perpetrators, the stored earthquake aid would be delivered to the rightful owners one by one, and that the legal system of the Republic of Turkey would continue to make its presence felt strongly against the abuse of public resources created by using spheres of influence created through social or political emotional abuse.
Following the detection and analysis carried out by Istanbul Police Department Financial Crimes Branch teams, a simultaneous operation was organized at the specified addresses to capture the suspects for whom detention orders were issued.
45 suspects caught during the operation were taken to the police for processing, and 8 suspects are being sought by police teams.
Minister Gürlek: They collected 4.3 billion liras in donations and withdrew 950 million liras in cash
Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, in his statement on his social account, stated that turning the pain experienced in earthquakes and the sense of solidarity of citizens into personal interests will not be tolerated.
Announcing that the 5th wave operation was launched by the Istanbul Provincial Police Department regarding the fate of the earthquake donations collected through the Friends Association, under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Gürlek noted that the operation was carried out in line with the Ministry of Internal Affairs inspector and special audit reports, the association's financial records, inventory, bank movements, expert examinations and the statements of the suspects who benefited from effective remorse.
Drawing attention to the data obtained in the investigation, Gürlek shared the following information:
"It was determined that between February 6 and December 31, 2023, 4.3 billion liras of donations were collected to be delivered to our earthquake victims, 4.2 billion liras of which were spent, 950 million liras were withdrawn in cash, and one of these withdrawals was 500 million liras at a time. A total of 1 billion 757 million 547 thousand 770 liras were transferred to 29 companies and 7 private companies, and some high-amount expenditures were made." "It was determined that no goods or services were purchased in return, personal benefit was gained from the transportation of aid, and some aid was delivered to public institutions less than stated in the invoices."
Gürlek informed that in line with all the findings, a simultaneous operation was organized in 20 provinces centered in Istanbul to capture 53 suspects, and emphasized that the real commercial activities of the companies to which money was transferred were also examined.
Gürlek stated that hundreds of tents, wheelchairs, electric bicycles, stationery products and various aid materials provided for earthquake victims in the warehouses in Izmit were kept unused and that the necessary procedures were initiated to deliver these materials to their rightful owners.
Minister Gürlek thanked the judicial authorities and police officers who conducted the investigation and said, "Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will continue to use all the possibilities of the state of law with determination against the exploitation of the good will, helpfulness of our citizens and the spirit of solidarity of our nation." made his assessment.
