Court appoints trustee to Ahbap charity amid misconduct probe

ISTANBUL

A trustee has been appointed to the Ahbap Association as part of a criminal investigation into alleged financial irregularities, with the management authority over the charity’s assets transferred to the new administration.

The move came after Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced on July 27 that 13 people had been detained in Istanbul as part of the fourth phase of an investigation into the association.

Gürlek said the probe was examining issues including housing and container purchases, suspected property transfers, checks issued by the association and its financial and commercial ties.

The investigation is looking into allegations that several companies contracted by Ahbap after the February 2023 earthquakes to build homes with funds raised through donations failed to complete the promised projects.
Another part of the investigation concerns properties transferred to Yeliz Kaya, an assistant to Ahbap founder and musician Haluk Levent. Prosecutors are examining allegations involving the transfer of 59 properties from three companies and one individual.

Four people, including businessman Hüseyin Başaran, owner of Başaran Holding, have been investigated over the transfers. Başaran is known as the businessman who filed a complaint alleging that he transferred 22 properties to Kaya but did not receive payment.

Fourteen people, including Levent, Kaya and lawyer Ece Güner, were initially arrested on July 16 as part of the investigation. Four more people, including Levent’s brother Berkant Acil, were arrested the following day.

Levent denied the allegations during the investigation, saying that “Ahbap has nothing to do with my personal debt and receivables relations.”