Money laundering indictment filed against Sarallar!

In the investigation carried out against the criminal organization known as "Sarallar," an indictment was prepared against 52 suspects for "laundering assets derived from crime," demanding prison sentences of 3 to 7 years and a judicial fine of up to 20,000 days.

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's Laundering Crimes Investigation Bureau, it was noted that the armed criminal organization, known to the public as the "Sarallar" and led by İlyas Saral, had made armed threats against the residences, real estate, vehicles and movable property of the complainants at different times.

In the indictment, it was stated that an investigation was launched upon allegations that the organization, after detaining the complainants, used force to transfer their assets to the organization and its members. In this context, an indictment was prepared against 62 suspects for 16 separate acts and the trial is currently continuing at the Istanbul 39th High Criminal Court.

The indictment stated that a report was requested from MASAK on the grounds that evidence was obtained regarding the laundering of proceeds obtained by the suspects from crime.

The indictment, in which the Ministry of Treasury and Finance is included as the "victim of the crime," includes separate assessments of 52 suspects accused of "laundering assets derived from crime."

FINDINGS

In the indictment, it was recorded that according to reports received from MASAK, the suspect Ali Uğur Uzun worked in the field of "activities of holding companies" between 2010 and 2022 according to the SGK inventory, and as a "senior manager (transportation, communication and storage)" in various companies since 2016, and earned a total of 940,418 liras, equivalent to 2,970 days during these periods.

In the indictment, it is explained that the suspect Uzun established a tax liability under the occupation name of "Potential taxpayer (those not included in other groups)" in 2002, that he had partnership information in various companies according to the Revenue Administration (GİB) and VEDOP records, that when TAKBİS title deed transactions were examined, a total of 73 title deed transactions were found between 2009 and 2016, that 46 of these transactions were transactions carried out in his name in 2010 and 2016, that 2 immovable properties were purchased in 2009, that 23 immovable properties with floor easement were transferred to HKA through sale in 2016, and that there is no vehicle registered in his name.

The indictment stated that, in the investigations conducted into the banking system of the suspect Uzun, no loan usage after 2011 could be detected. When this data is evaluated together, it is stated that the suspect has been engaged in commercial activities for years, that there is a clear discrepancy between the balance of income and expenditure despite the acquisition of real estate and vehicles, and that the fact that a significant portion of the high number of title deed transactions were made in his name and through him points to arrangements aimed at concealing the real asset movements.

In the indictment, it was recorded that Uzun had transferred assets in a way that could not be explained by apparent economic activities and that no fund transfers could be detected in connection with some sales transactions. When evaluated together with the findings in the MASAK report, it was noted that the suspect had carried out systematic transactions by concealing or legitimizing the source of his assets.

ASSET MOVEMENTS

In the indictment, it was stated that one of the suspects, İlyas Saral, worked in the field of "real estate agencies" within the scope of the Social Security Institution (SGK) between 2008 and 2011, that he had established obligations within the scope of real estate rental and brokerage activities since 1998, and that he still continues his activities within this scope.

In the indictment, it was stated that Saral owned 100% shares of two different companies named Bural İnşaat and Matriks Tekstil, that both companies declared losses, but that he acquired many properties and carried out floor easement and subdivision transactions. It was also stated that Saral had 55 properties, and that the majority of these were carried out as "self-to-self" transactions.

In the indictment, it was noted that there was a total cash inflow of 750 thousand euros and 732 thousand 400 dollars from Power İnşaat Anonim Şirketi in 2024, that these funds were partially withdrawn in cash after being transferred to other accounts, and that the remaining portion was transferred to A1 Capital Yatırım Menkul Değerler AŞ. Saral's personal accounts had a total cash inflow of 39 million 068 thousand 500 lira and an outflow of 37 million 2 thousand 805 lira between 2021 and 2025, and that there were also high-amount international money movements in his foreign currency accounts.

According to these data, it was emphasized that Saral's commercial and financial outlook and the inexplicable high volume of real estate acquisitions and disposals, large amounts of foreign currency and lira transfers, and especially its high volume of financial transactions despite the company's loss declaration were noteworthy.

The indictment stated that the transfer of large sums of money from Power İnşaat AŞ and other individuals to investment brokerage firms without any connection to any commercial transaction or buying-selling activity created suspicion regarding the source of this money, and that Saral's asset movements were transactions carried out with the aim of concealing the origin of the money or making it difficult to trace it, thus constituting the elements of the crime of money laundering.

FREQUENTLY RECURRING MONEY TRANSFERS

It was stated that the suspect, Fikret Aydoğdu, worked in various companies under the Social Security Institution (SGK) between 2008 and 2024, earned a total of 2 million 35 thousand 242 liras worth of premium-based earnings for 3 thousand 888 days during this period, no movable or immovable property was found registered in his name or subject to purchase or sale, and there was no record of him taking out a loan at the banks.

In the indictment, it was stated that a total of 106 million 627 thousand 863 liras of money entered into suspect Aydoğdu’s lira accounts from 348 real and legal entities between 2021 and 2025, while a total of 113 million 692 thousand 802 liras of money were withdrawn from 215 real and legal entities, and it was pointed out that among the transactions in question, there were very high-volume and frequently repeated money transfers with “D Elektronik Şans Oyunlar ve Yayıncılık AŞ”, that the payments made to this company were made by transferring amounts from many different people to the same company within minutes, and that in this respect, his account movements differed from classical betting or individual financial behavior patterns.

The indictment stated that Aydoğdu's high and organized money traffic, incompatible with his individual economic power and recorded financial history, the use of numerous people's accounts for this purpose, and the channeling of transactions through a single channel, created the impression that the suspect was facilitating the legitimization of money considered to be obtained from crime through the financial system, and that there was strong suspicion that he participated in the crime of "laundering assets derived from crime."

EVALUATIONS ABOUT KENAN KOÇAK

It was stated that the suspect, Kenan Koçak, had been registered with BAĞ-KUR since 2019 and was engaged in "urban and suburban passenger transportation with minibuses and dolmuş" and that he also conducted commercial activities with Koçaklar Turizm Otomotiv Gıda İnşaat AŞ, a company in which he owned 90 percent of the shares, and that the company declared low profits and losses between 2020 and 2024.

The indictment stated that numerous vehicle registration and abandonment transactions were carried out in the name of the company, but that no real estate or vehicle was registered in his name, that a total of 121 million 17 thousand 588 lira was transferred into Koçak's lira accounts from 145 different individuals and organizations between 2021 and January 2025, and that 12 million 201 thousand 471 lira of this amount came from his wife Merve Koçak, and 10 million 207 thousand 401 lira from the company in which he was a partner.

The indictment states that Koçak transferred 118 million 180 thousand 898 lira from his accounts to 345 individuals and organizations, that he had financial transactions with suspects İshak Aydınoğlu and Mehmet Deniz Karakurt, and that he received 1 million 200 thousand lira via EFT from Karakurt on December 12, 2023, and that the 1 million 200 thousand lira that Karakurt earned from selling a vehicle on December 11, 2023, was transferred to Koçak the next day.

The indictment stated that there was no record of this money transfer being related to the acquisition of assets or commercial activity, and therefore, it was understood that the suspect Kenan Koçak participated in the crime of money laundering.

It was stated that a total of 4 million 362 thousand 784 liras of money entered the accounts of former police chief suspect Mehmet Deniz Karakurt from 48 different individuals and organizations between 2021 and 2025, and that 1 million 309 thousand 228 liras of this amount came from the Edirne Police Department and 184 thousand 431 liras from the Istanbul Police Department as salary payments.

In the indictment, which stated that there was an inflow of 100 thousand lira to Karakurt’s accounts from Eyüp Öztürk, who has a criminal record, with 234 thousand 483 lira from a cryptocurrency platform, and an outflow of 2 million 403 thousand 621 lira. Considering the fact that he had money transfer relations with people with criminal records, that a high amount of vehicle sale proceeds were directed to Kenan Koçak the next day, and that there was no bank transaction record corresponding to some real estate acquisitions, it was assessed that Karakurt was involved in actions aimed at concealing or legitimizing the proceeds of crime and participated in the crime of money laundering.

The indictment also included information that the account transactions of other suspects constituted the crime of money laundering.

The indictment demands that 52 suspects, including Ali Uğur Uzun, Burak Saral, Burak Yakın, Fikret Aydoğdu, İlyas Saral, Kenan Koçak, Mehmet Deniz Karakurt, Turan Yıldırım, Ümit Serkan Saral and Savaş Sarmusak, be sentenced to prison terms of 3 to 7 years and fines of up to 20,000 days for "laundering assets derived from crime."

The Criminal Court of First Instance's review of the indictment continues.