Financial investigation into Pusula, Tera and Hedef Holding executives continues

Investigations carried out by the Terrorism Financing and Laundering Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding transactions carried out in the capital market are continuing.

Within the scope of the investigations initiated in line with the investigations and criminal complaints made by the Capital Markets Board (CMB), in the memorandum sent by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) on September 17, it was requested to provide financial data regarding the managers of Pusula Finans Holding AŞ, Tera Yatırım Menkul Değerler AŞ, Hedef Holding AŞ and Bulls Yatırım Menkul Değerler AŞ and their subsidiaries.

In the investigation, it was requested that the clear identity information of all managers of the companies be determined, and that their money and crypto asset transfers abroad from 2024 until today, as well as all money inflows and outflows, be sent to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in raw data.

The investigation aimed to determine whether money was transferred abroad or crypto assets were issued through these people through a financial investigation covering the money and crypto asset movements of the managers of these companies as well as their first-degree relatives.

Within the scope of the investigation, on September 19, Tera Investment Holding Chairman of the Board of Directors Emre Tezmen, Tera Investment Holding Board members Emre Alkin, Kerem Alkin and Alper Öztürk and Pusula Holding Chairman of the Board of Directors Serdar Turhan were detained. Police teams searched the office rooms of suspects Tezmen and Öztürk.

In the investigation in which Doğa Sigorta Board Chairman Nihat Kırmızı, Tera Yatırım Board members Bülent Uygun and Abdulkadir Özkan were also detained on September 20, it was determined that market fraud was committed in Katılımevim Tasarruf Finansman AŞ as a result of the examination of the financial data requested from MASAK.

Following this, in the operation held on September 21, Berkan Gülen, Celal Yarız, Furkan Baki, Halil İbrahim Ege, İlhan Aygün, İsmail Ege, Lütfi Çetinel, Mehmet Erbey, Mehmet Yıldırım, Murat Keçeci, Salih Can Bülbül, Samet Çetinel, Uğur Akkafa, Ramazan Erbey and Selçuk Kahya were detained.

PRECAUTIONS FOR THE ASSETS OF THE MANAGERS AND OFFICIALS IN THE INVESTIGATION

In the statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on September 21, it was stated that in the audit report of the CMB dated September 17, it was determined that market fraud was committed at Katılımevim Savings Finansman AŞ.

In the statement, it was stated that within the scope of the investigation carried out regarding the shares of this company, legal proceedings were initiated against 25 suspects, 15 suspects were detained, and efforts to capture 10 fugitive suspects continued. In the financial aspect of the investigation, Pusula Finans Holding, Pusula Yatırım Menkul Değerler, Tera Yatırım Menkul Değerler, Tera Portföy Yönetimi, Hedef Holding, Hedef Portföy Yönetimi, Bulls Yatırım Menkul Değerler, Bulls Portföy Yönetimi, Ufuk Yatırım Yönetimi ve Gayrimenkul. It was noted that the money and asset movements of affiliated executives and officials were frozen.

In the statement, it was stated that warrants were written to the Banks Association of Turkey, the Participation Banks Association of Turkey, the Notaries Association of Turkey, the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and MASAK in order to prevent the smuggling, transfer to third parties or reduction of the assets subject to investigation.

As part of the investigation, Selim Dağbaşı and Hamza Kablan were also detained on September 21.

Following the CMB's detection of market fraud in transactions involving the shares of Katılımevim Savings Finance (KTLEV), Destek Holding and Hedef Holding, a detention order was issued for 15 suspects on September 22. While 14 suspects were caught during the operation, it was understood that 1 suspect was abroad.

Tera Yatırım Holding Chairman of the Board Emre Tezmen, Tera Yatırım Holding Board Member Emre Alkin, Tera Yatırım Independent Board Member Kerem Alkin, Tera Portföy General Manager Alper Öztürk and Pusula Holding Chairman Serdar Turhan, who were detained, were arrested on September 22.

Enver Çevik and Kemal Akkaya, who were detained, were released on September 23 after their statements at the prosecutor's office.

The prosecutor's request to seize the assets of 11 suspects, including Tera Yatırım Holding Chairman Emre Tezmen and Pusula Portföy Yönetimi AŞ Chairman Muhammed Yarız, was accepted by the court on September 23. In line with the decision, the suspects' assets were seized.

Tera Investment Board members Abdulkadir Özkan and Bülent Uygun, Doğa Sigorta Board Chairman Nihat Kırmızı, Furkan Baki, Murat Keçeci, Ramazan Erbey, İlhan Aygün, Salih Can Bülbül, Selçuk Kahya, Uğur Akkafa, Samet Çetinel, Celal Yarız, İsmail Ege, Mehmet Yıldırım, Lütfi Çetinel, Berkan Gülen and Mehmet, who were detained on September 24 within the scope of the investigation. 17 suspects, including Erbey, were arrested, and judicial control measures were imposed on 3 suspects.

Ali Rıza İncekara, Haldun Saffet İnal, Erhan Kilimci, Ayşe Seher Aydın, Enes Yazıcı, Feryal Köker, Müjdat Ede, Oğuzhan Özerkaya, Onur Göğebakan, Orçun Berkay Kaya, Ahmet Özcan, Mehmet Ziya Gökalp, Sibel Gökalp, Tamer Akbal, Abdullah Yusuf Yarız, Selim Dağbaşı, Özdemir Ataseven, A total of 19 suspects, including Gökhan Ataseven and Hamza Kablan, were arrested. Suspects Nilgün Sarıçalı and Sezai Bekgöz were released on probation.

LUXURY VEHICLES, PRIVATE JETS AND YACHTS WERE SEIZED

It was determined that 5 luxury vehicles belonging to Muhammed Yarız, Chairman of Pusula Portföy Yönetimi AŞ, who was arrested during the investigation, were transferred to 4 different people with a vehicle sales price of 26 thousand 280 lira. Thereupon, the prosecutor's office decided to confiscate luxury vehicles with a market value of approximately 200-220 million liras.

4 of the vehicles for which confiscation measures were applied were taken under protection. A search has been launched for the vehicle that could not be found.

On the other hand, 2 private jets determined to belong to Yarız and Tera Investment Holding Chairman Emre Tezmen and a luxury yacht determined to belong to Pusula Holding Chairman Serdar Turhan were seized. The total market value of the two private jets and the yacht was estimated to be 1.8 billion lira.

Ethem Bulut Beytorun, Gürkan Parlakaç, Özdemir Uçar, Mustafa Dedik, Enis Bulut and Burak Gökçe, who were detained within the scope of the investigation and referred to the courthouse on September 26, were arrested, while a judicial control measure was imposed on Kadir Boy and Ecem Tuğçe Akçay.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Tera Investment's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Emir Münir Sarpyener and Tera Portföy Chairman of the Board of Directors Erdin Özel, who have been banned from traveling abroad.

While suspect Sarpyener was detained on September 27, Özel was caught later.

MEASURES AGAINST 45 COMPANIES AND 19 FUNDS WERE REMOVED

In line with the new evaluations and notifications made by the CMB and the relevant boards, on September 27, while the measures regarding 45 companies and 19 funds and the decisions regarding the freezing of their assets were lifted, it was reported that the measures on real persons continued.

Necmettin Enes Töbü, Kerem Lafçı, Cem Gürkan Alpay, Engin Geylan and Yunus Caf, who were detained, were arrested on September 29. Suspects Okan Uzunoğlu, Hacı Bayram Adıyaman, Ayşegül Kaya, Duygu Kuşçu, Niyazi Derindağ, Evren Uçar and Hüseyin Emre Sezer were released with a judicial control decision.

It was stated that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sent a letter to the relevant institutions regarding the freezing of all assets of İlyas Kaya and his wife Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya within the scope of investigations.

In addition, it was decided to issue an arrest warrant for Melis Sütşurup and her father, Cihan Sütşurup, and to confiscate their assets.

Former CMB Chairman İbrahim Ömer Gönül was also summoned to testify as a "suspect" on September 30. Continuing the investigation, on the same day, the prosecutor's office sent a letter to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 113 of the Capital Markets Law, to allow an investigation against Gönül for "abuse of office".

Tera Yatırım CEO Emir Münir Sarpyener, Tera Portföy Board Chairman Erdin Özel and Bolkan Bekçi, Hasan Dörtkardeş and İbrahim Halil Rat, who were detained within the scope of the investigations, were arrested on October 1, while Fatmagül Lafçı was released within the scope of judicial control measures.

On the other hand, Ali Çil, İskender Balcı, İsmet Öğüt and Adem Karatepe, suspects associated with Destek Holding AŞ and Özata Gemicilik companies, who were detained on 28 September, were arrested on 2 October.

Judicial control provisions were applied to the suspects Altuğ Kantarcı, Kerim Tosun, Özgür Akayoğlu, Mesut Altan, Tuğba Hicran Ataseven, Duygu Somay, Nuray Elmastaş, Azize Binnur Tosun and Tolga Tuğtekin.

Within the scope of the investigation, Ali Serhat Tüzün, Ali Yöney, Alper Tunga Sagu Burak, Burak Sevindik, Fırat Kerim Ersoy, Gökhan Koçyiğit, Gürsel Akça, İdris Çakır, Jeremy Etienne Debost, Tahir Fatih Mutlu, Mücahit Acaralp, Nil Özalp, Tuncer Köklü, Yasemin Yavuz Koçyiğit, Ali Göl, Hüseyin Emre Güner, İhsan A total of 20 suspects, including Çimen, Mesut Yalım, Osman Sungur and Erol Demirbaş, were arrested on October 3.

Thus, in the investigations where the number of suspects against whom judicial proceedings were taken increased to 217, the number of those arrested was 85 and the number of those subject to judicial control provisions was 98.