Simultaneous operations were conducted in 17 provinces against Alihan Kuriş, described as the leader of the network publicly known as “Süleymancılar,” and other suspects as part of a comprehensive financial crimes investigation led by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Proceedings were initiated against a total of 49 suspects, while 30 suspects, including Alihan Kuriş, were detained. Efforts to locate the suspects who have not been apprehended are continuing.
The operation was conducted in 17 provinces, primarily Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya. Search and seizure measures were carried out at 123 locations: 43 addresses belonging to suspects and 80 addresses linked to 33 companies.
The economic and commercial links of the network form the most notable part of the investigation.
Investigation focuses on five separate charges
The suspects are being investigated for “establishing and managing a criminal organization,” “membership in a criminal organization,” “laundering assets derived from crime,” “fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations,” and “violating the Tax Procedure Law.”
As part of the investigation, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) conducted comprehensive financial analyses of the suspects and companies believed to be linked to them.
MASAK examined the companies’ money flows
MASAK’s examinations found notable increases, particularly from 2020 onward, in the financial transaction volumes and the purchase and sales volumes of goods at a significant portion of the companies.
Some companies were found to have undergone divisions and transfers, after which new companies with high capital were established.
The financial examinations also found that large cash inflows had been made to some companies and that money transfers had been carried out through various payment institutions.
The companies’ ownership structures, managers, commercial relations with one another, money transfers, capital movements and purchases and sales of goods are among the investigation’s key areas.
Money movements exceeding TL 100 billion under investigation
One of the investigation’s most notable allegations concerns the scale of money movements carried out through individuals and companies believed to be linked to the network.
MASAK’s examination identified money movements exceeding TL 100 billion being directed abroad through various methods via linked individuals and companies; this finding is included in the investigation file.
The prosecution and financial authorities are investigating the source of the money, its movements between companies, its recipients abroad and whether these transactions are linked to money laundering.
Action taken at 80 addresses linked to 33 companies
The company aspect of the operation covers a broad area.
Searches and seizure procedures were carried out at a total of 80 addresses linked to 33 companies. In the work examining financial and commercial links, the names of 32 companies believed to be connected to the network became public.
The companies’ highly diverse fields of activity stand out.
Companies operating in numerous sectors, including construction and real estate, food, textiles, healthcare, tourism, automotive, jewelry, maritime affairs, education, agriculture, electronics, security systems, excavation and technology, appear in the investigation file.
Here are the 32 companies named in the investigation
The publicly disclosed list of companies believed to have financial and commercial links to the network is as follows:
- ELF Yapı Anonim Şirketi
- Altun Mimarlık İnşaat Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Güldeniz İnşaat Anonim Şirketi
- Ardeniz Emlak Anonim Şirketi
- Garanti Gayrimenkul Geliştirme Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Arden Gıda İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- ŞMS Kopuz Gıda Pazarlama ve Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Tasfiye Halinde TEB Denizcilik Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Özgür Giyim Tekstil Ürünleri Ticaret ve Sanayi Anonim Şirketi
- Armine Giyim Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Hisar Sağlık Hizmetleri Eğitim-Araştırma ve Tıbbi Cihazlar İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Ayakkabı Dünyası Kundura Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Akdeniz Toros Et ve Et Mamülleri Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- İstanbul Hisar Turizm ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- MKM Taş Ocağı Hafriyat İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Perka Yapı İnşaat Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Günso İnşaat Gıda Eğitim ve Yurt Hizmetleri Ticaret ve Sanayi Anonim Şirketi
- Seli Kaynak ve Meyve Suları İşletmeleri Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- MKM Otomotiv Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Asya Otomotiv ve Tekstil Pazarlama Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- MKM Elektronik Ekipmanları ve Güvenlik Sistemleri Sanayi Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Seli Turizm Otelcilik İnşaat Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Ada Nakış Desen Dokuma Giyim İmalat Ticaret ve Sanayi Limited Şirketi
- Verona Ev Tekstil Ürünleri Ticaret ve Pazarlama Anonim Şirketi
- Ada Dokuma İmalat Sanayi Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Güleryüz Kuyumculuk Turizm ve Otomotiv Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Asya Süs Bitkileri Fidancılık ve Tarım İşletmeleri Pazarlama Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Sakarya Üniversitesi Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgeleri Yönetici Anonim Şirketi
- Han Yapı Grubu Mühendislik Mimarlık İnşaat Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Bolu Yıldız Eğitim İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
- Doğu Marmara Avrupa Birliği İş Geliştirme Merkezi (ABİGEM) Anonim Şirketi
- Göknur Gıda Maddeleri Enerji İmalat İthalat İhracat Ticaret ve Sanayi Anonim Şirketi
Ayakkabı Dünyası, Armine and Göknur Gıda draw attention
The presence of companies well known to the public on the list has brought the economic dimension of the operation further into focus.
Ayakkabı Dünyası Kundura Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, which has numerous stores across Turkey, and Armine Giyim Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, a well-known brand in the modest fashion sector, are among the companies named in the investigation.
Göknur Gıda Maddeleri Enerji İmalat İthalat İhracat Ticaret ve Sanayi AŞ, which operates in the food sector, is also on the list.
Hisar Sağlık, İstanbul Hisar Turizm, ŞMS Kopuz Gıda, Özgür Giyim, MKM Otomotiv, Verona Ev Tekstil, Güleryüz Kuyumculuk and numerous construction and real estate companies also appear in the investigation file, indicating that the inquiry extends across a broad commercial area.
Different companies found at the same addresses
Another point that stood out in the financial examinations was that some companies with different commercial names and fields of activity operated at the same or interconnected addresses.
In particular, some addresses in Sakarya were found to be used by more than one company.
For this reason, the investigating authorities are examining not only the companies’ ownership structures but also their addresses, managers, capital links and commercial transactions with one another.
Commercial structure spanning many sectors
An examination of the company list shows that the investigation is not focused on a single sector.
In addition to construction and real estate companies, the list includes companies operating in textiles and ready-to-wear clothing, footwear, meat and food, fruit juice, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, automotive, jewelry, maritime affairs, agriculture and plant nurseries, electronics and security systems, and technology development.
MASAK is therefore examining whether money and goods movements between the companies are connected to one another.
International links also under investigation
The investigation also covers financial links outside Turkey.
In particular, authorities are investigating which countries and accounts received international money transfers made through companies and linked individuals in relation to allegations involving money movements exceeding TL 100 billion.
A center in Cologne, Germany, valued at approximately $70 million and mentioned in statements by Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, has also become one of the notable aspects of the investigation’s international links.
Operation focuses on alleged financial crimes rather than religious activities
Statements on the investigation say that the operation is not directed at all of the religious or social activities of the structure publicly known as Süleymancılar; instead, it targets the hierarchical structure alleged to surround Alihan Kuriş and its financial and commercial activities.
Accordingly, the investigation file uses the designation “Alihan Kuriş criminal organization established for profit.”
Police procedures for the detained suspects are continuing, as are examinations of the companies’ financial records and efforts to locate suspects who have not been apprehended.
The details of the money movements in the MASAK report, the links between the companies, the transfers alleged to have been made abroad and the judicial measures to be applied to the companies are expected to become clearer as the investigation progresses.
The allegations concerning the individuals and companies named in the investigation are part of an ongoing judicial inquiry and do not constitute a final conviction.
