Ex-Galatasaray vice chair arrested on money laundering charges

ISTANBUL

A court on Dec. 29 ordered the arrest of former Galatasaray executive Erden Timur on charges of laundering assets derived from illegal betting amid a high-profile investigation that has sent ripples through the nation’s football community.

Timur, who was detained Dec. 26, was formally charged after the prosecutor’s office separated his file from a broader ongoing probe.

In a referral letter seeking Timur's arrest, prosecutors alleged that the businessman utilized his real estate firm to facilitate a complex money-laundering scheme. Investigators claim that between 2024 and 2025, Timur’s company transferred 144.2 million Turkish Liras (around $3.3 million) to a crypto asset platform.

The funds were reportedly converted into digital assets, with roughly $1 million subsequently transferred to foreign exchange accounts.

The prosecution further alleged that Timur moved some 1 billion liras ($23.2 million) between 2023 and 2025 through a firm located in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. While the transactions were officially recorded as "gold trading," authorities believe they served as a front for moving illicit betting proceeds.

They claimed that the Eyüpspor club and its managers conducted high-volume transactions through the same Grand Bazaar firm during the same period.

While 17 others were arrested alongside Timur, three individuals were released under judicial supervision. Buğra Cem İmamoğulları, a senior Turkish Football Federation (TFF) official responsible for foreign relations, was released without any judicial restrictions.