Special operation carried out at Halk TV in Turkey: there are arrests - PHOTO
Turkish law enforcement agencies have conducted a large-scale special operation at the independent television channel Halk TV.
As part of the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office against the channel's owner, Cafer Mahiroğlu, broadcasting was suspended, and management of the media resource was transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).
The operation began at around 05:15 a.m. Officers from three police units at once entered Halk TV's head office in Istanbul: the financial crimes unit (Mali Şube), the organized crime unit (KOM), and the anti-terrorism unit (TEM).
As part of the case, arrest warrants were issued for 17 people, 11 of whom have already been detained. The owner of the media holding, Cafer Mahiroğlu, as well as 4 other figures in the case, are abroad, according to the investigation. One more suspect is in custody in connection with another case, and the search for the rest continues.
The grounds for the operation were the results of an investigation by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), data from secret witnesses, and a financial audit.
The prosecutor's office charges Mahiroğlu and his structures with the following offenses:
- Tender fraud: obtaining undue benefits through municipal contracts in Izmir and Istanbul.
- Bribes: the recording of unaccounted payments totaling 14.46 million lira for obtaining contracts at inflated prices.
- Shadow financial flows: According to MASAK, the total turnover of companies linked to Mahiroğlu exceeded 30.3 billion lira. More than 2.1 billion lira in movements were recorded in the businessman's personal accounts (1.06 billion in receipts and 1.11 billion in debits), as well as large-scale international SWIFT transfers incomparable with his official income.
Mahiroğlu himself commented on what is happening on social media, linking the searches to "internal political intrigues."
The opposition regarded the authorities' actions as "a blow to freedom of speech."
Source: Haberler
