I was watching TV… CHP was being talked about on several channels, as it had been for weeks… It was being discussed.
The words of one of the speakers… Former Ankara Provincial Chairman of CHP… Former MP… Former Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Yılmaz Ateş caught my attention:
“May God protect the Republican People’s Party from its supporters in the press.”

Let’s say at first what we will say at the end of our article:
Politics and media… If the relations between politics and money become one of the important issues on the country’s agenda;
The reputation and credibility of both politics and the media are damaged.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening in Türkiye.

***

‘Party journalists’

A journalist, like everyone else, has a party he votes for, a leader he likes… It is natural.
Likewise, there may be a party/leader that he is against and dislikes… Naturally.
But… But… But;
A journalist is not a cheerleader, militant or lawyer of this or that party.
We are not talking about this, that, that… We are talking about the middle.
Measurement is important in politics-media relations… Whether it is disproportionate praise or anger that amounts to insult;
Some circles may like it and it may bring applause… But it is not true.
It causes loss of reputation.

***

It’s time for self-criticism

The Republican People’s Party’s statute, adopted at its congress in 1935, included an article on party journalists… Did you know? Regulation… Ninth part… Article 146:

The articles of newspapers and magazines owned by CHP and the works written and published by party members are taken into account in terms of party principles.

Delegations and meetings are held with party-affiliated journalists, magazine editors and writers who wish to reach a consensus in this regard.

They do not publish articles contrary to the party program and statute in newspapers, magazines and presses in which they are affiliated with the party capital and in whose management they are active.
This article was preserved exactly as it was in the CHP’s congress held in 1938 and the adopted statute.
But… We’re not in the 1930s anymore.
In 2026 Turkey, if issues involving politics, media money and yellow envelopes make the headlines of newspapers… If they become one of the main news on television…
Everyone needs to put their hat in front of themselves and think… and make self-criticism.

***

From the timeline…

It was after the coup (September 12, 1980)… Democracy was returned. In power… was the Motherland Party – Turgut Özal. In the opposition… If we do not count the MDP (Nationalist Democracy Party), founded/managed by the soldiers, which melts like soap;

In the right neighbourhood… Doğruyol Party was trying to rise with its entrusted chairman.

In the left quarter… There was a division… between SHP led by Erdal İnönü and… DSP led by Rahşan Ecevit.

And… Two locomotives pushing from behind… Banned Süleyman Demirel behind DYP… Banned Bülennt Ecevit behind DSP.
The powerful/influential media organ of the leftist neighbourhood… Cumhuriyet Newspaper… It was torn between two choices.
In the end… Cumhuriyet took a stand on the side of the strong in the neighborhood… Inönü, on the side of the Social Democratic Populist Party.
DSP… Rahşan Ecevit… started touring the country with the election song written by Bülent Ecevit:

“Good luck Türkiye, the white dove is coming,
As DSP gets stronger, people’s faces become happier.
“We are on the democratic left, we are on the safest path.”
During that period… I also traveled with İnönü… and Rahşan Ecevit.
The announcement was made on the SHP’s election bus… The leader was introduced by Hasan Şahan, retired from Anadolu Agency:
– He’s coming, he’s coming… Not the black crow, Erdal İnönü is coming.
Ecevit’s white pigeon… SHP called it “black crow”.
In some of Ms. Rahşan’s meetings… Sad but true… Cumhuriyet Newspaper was being torn down… It was being burned.
Of course I wrote… Of course I criticized it.
Alev Coşkun… He is considered the memory/archive of the left neighborhood… He is a living witness of that period.
And… Here we are today.
That party member, that party member… That journalist, that journalist… They almost strangled each other.
Politics is losing blood, and so is the media.

***

ground survey

In politics… Ground survey is important… Very much so.
The ground… is public opinion.
Public opinion… It is not a handful of fanatic/militant party members… It is the power that creates and changes governments.
Floor… He is disturbed by some words.
He reacts to statements such as “Junta… Coup”.
Türkiye… It suffered a lot from juntas and coups.
If you say that what is happening… Every operation/development is a “blow to democracy and politics”, you should know that… Such words have no equivalent in the public opinion.

***

soft belly

The soft underbelly of the Republican People’s Party… As sure as two and two make four;
Multi-headedness.
For some, CHP has two heads, for some it has three heads.
The famous saying is:
“Two captains sink the ship.”

***

Surveys

Our desk is full of surveys from various organizations.
“The situation of political parties right now… Who should be the CHP’s presidential candidate? If there were an election this Sunday, which party would get what percentage of votes?” surveys such as.
These surveys appear in the newspapers, you read them. It’s being talked about on TV… It’s being discussed… You’re watching it.
We never delve into this subject in our column… Because; It was seen in the last election… Most of the polls were not correct.
It’s sad but true that this industry has a big hump.
Can you tell me which one should we believe? How should we believe?

***

word of the day

Ancient Greek philosopher… Socrates’ student… Aristotle’s teacher… Plato says:
“The greatest victory is for man to master himself.”
There is no need for more words and comments.
You see… Nowadays, there are many people who cannot control their hands, waist, or tongue.

Under the coordination of the Mardin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a comprehensive investigation was launched into the crimes of illegal betting, qualified fraud and laundering of assets resulting from crime, in line with the planned studies carried out by the teams of the Mardin Provincial Police Department’s Anti-Cyber ​​Crimes Branch Directorate and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) report. Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that the suspects enabled betting on illegal betting sites based abroad, mediated money transfers and victimized citizens through various methods.

FRAUD WITH TOKİ AND BUNGALOV ADVERTISEMENTS

During the investigations, it was determined that the suspects committed the crime of qualified fraud by targeting citizens through fake TOKİ applications and bungalow house rental advertisements. As a result of the technical and financial analysis of the teams, it was determined that a total of 10 billion 394 million 834 thousand 144 lira money movement was reached in return for 1 million 442 thousand 176 transactions carried out by the suspects.

JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS WERE STARTED AGAINST 49 SUSPECTS

In line with the evidence obtained, a simultaneous operation was carried out at 05.30 with the support of Special Operations teams. Within the scope of the operation, action was taken against suspects in different provinces: 37 in Mardin, 1 in Istanbul, 1 in Sivas, 2 in Antalya, 1 in Çanakkale, 1 in Izmir and 1 in Mersin. It was also learned that 3 suspects were in prison and 2 suspects were continuing their military service. Legal proceedings were initiated against a total of 49 suspects.

WE DO NOT ALLOW ANY CRIMINAL NETWORK!

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek made the following statements regarding the operation: “Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we continue our fight against illegal betting, qualified fraud and laundering of proceeds of crime with determination, and we do not give any respite to any criminal network that covets the sweat, labor and dreams of our citizens. We will never give way to fraud networks that target the labor and sweat of our nation. Our Ministry of Internal Affairs and H.E. are responsible for tracking the proceeds of crime and bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

An investigation was launched by the Silifke Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in line with the reports and evidence obtained against some public officials in Silifke Municipality and the suspects considered to be in contact with these people. Within the scope of the investigation; Allegations that there were irregularities in some tenders, direct procurement, festivals, organizations, advertisements, printing houses, vehicle rentals, food, beverages, food and agricultural material purchases made within the municipality, that unfair benefits were claimed from citizens in municipal development transactions, and that some money movements were carried out through municipal activities and related structures were investigated.

OPERATION ON SUSPECTS

In the investigation carried out; Witness and suspect statements, HTS and PTS records, bank account movements, technical investigations, relevant institution records and other evidence were evaluated together. In line with the findings, 19 people, including Silifke Mayor Mustafa Turgut, municipal administrators, municipal staff and some company officials who had business relations with the municipality, were detained in the operation held on June 19.

19 suspects, including the Mayor of Silifke, are in the courthouse | Video

The suspects, whose procedures at the gendarmerie were completed, were sent to the courthouse this morning.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that 38 of the suspects who were detained in the operations carried out against the crime of ‘illegal betting’ in 16 provinces centered in Kahramanmaraş by the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime teams of the Gendarmerie General Command were arrested, and a judicial control order was imposed on 4 suspects.

In the post made on the social media account of the Ministry, “42 suspects with money movement of 114 million liras were caught in the operations carried out by our gendarmerie against the crime of ‘illegal betting’ in 16 provinces centered in Kahramanmaraş. 38 of the suspects were arrested. Judicial control provisions were implemented for 4 of them. Under the coordination of Gendarmerie General Command KOM and Cyber Crimes Department Heads, MASAK and Afşin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office; based in Kahramanmaraş “It was determined that the suspects caught during the operations carried out in 16 provinces were placing illegal bets on websites and intermediating the money transfer of the proceeds obtained from this crime. We continue our fight against crime and criminals with determination, with the determined struggle of our security forces and the support of our beloved nation. We congratulate our heroic Gendarmerie, Department Heads, MASAK, Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and those who contributed.”

The investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Terrorism Financing and Laundering Crimes Investigation Bureau, in line with the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) audit report and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) reports, on the allegation of money laundering through PAPEL Electronic Money and Payment Services Inc. has been completed.

In the indictment prepared as a result of the investigation, the suspects for whom an arrest warrant was issued, Seyhan İbrahim Yıldırım, Ferit Samuray, Asil Ersoydan, Ahmet Avar and Erol Albayrak were listed as “organization managers” and 39 suspects were listed as “organization members”.

In the MASAK report included in the indictment, it was noted that there were many suspicious transactions regarding Papel and its sub-dealers, such as illegal betting, misuse of POS devices, suspicious money transfers, and that high amounts and amounts of transfers were made to Papel from various people, and that these actions mediated illegal betting transactions.

In the report, it was stated that there was no information about the personal and commercial backgrounds of the workplaces that used virtual POS as sub-member businesses by Papel, and that these companies, founded by people who did not have financial power or capital accumulation, made transactions in short intervals and in high amounts in a day, which is not seen in normal commercial life, but the company did not actually engage in commercial activities.

In the report, it was stated that the transactions carried out by various people from the company account were not compatible with the profile of the people who carried out the transaction, and therefore, it was reported that real/legal persons who were determined to be intermediaries in illegal betting transactions were transferred with Papel.

DESPITE CONTINUOUS DECLARATION OF LOSSES, IT CONTINUED ITS CAPITAL INCREASES

In the report, it was stated that Papel has been financed by its sole partner Seyhan İbrahim Yıldırım since its establishment, but that the financing in question was based on significantly high amounts of cash deposits, and that the economic and commercial nature of cash resources could not be explained in the report, that the company continued to increase capital despite low sales and constant loss declaration, and that purchases of goods/services were high compared to sales.

In the report, which noted that there was a lot of intelligence information about Papel and its sub-dealers regarding intermediation in illegal betting transfers, misuse of POS devices and suspicious money movements, it was also evaluated that third parties may be acting as the real beneficiaries behind the apparent partnership structure of the company, due to the connections of Asil Ersoydan and Ferit Samuray.

In the report, the approximate transaction volume of money transfers reached 1.5 billion liras, and as a result of the investigations made through VEDOP and GİB records regarding the “capital, receivables, sales and profit (loss)” in Papel’s balance sheets and income statements, the company was established in 2020 and received an operating permit from the CBRT on October 27, 2022, and its capital was committed as 7 million liras in its first establishment, It was noted that with the first increase in 2021, the capital will be 10 million lira, with an increase in 2022 it will be 50 million lira, in 2023 it will be 150 million lira, and in 2024 the capital will be 300 million lira.

Considering the fact that net sales were low, especially between 2020 and 2024, and the company’s constant declaration of loss, the indictment stated that the continuous capital increase was remarkable, based on the examinations made on the income statement, and it was stated that there was a lot of intelligence information about Papel and its sub-dealers, with suspicions such as illegal betting, misuse of POS devices, suspicious money transfers.

In the indictment, it was emphasized that, according to the summary of this intelligence information, Papel may have been under the control of illegal betting and gambling gangs.

IN THE EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORT OF THE CBRT, APPROXIMATELY 44 THOUSAND CUSTOMERS WERE DETECTED IN CONNECTION WITH ILLEGAL BETTING

In the indictment, which also includes the CBRT’s external audit report, “It has been determined that the most striking part of the transaction volume of the organization (Papel) is wallet-to-wallet transfer transactions. It has been stated that during the review period, approximately 55 percent of the total wallet transaction volume consists of wallet-to-wallet transfers, 22 percent consists of loading from the bank, 16 percent transfers to the bank and 6 percent consists of transfers to IBAN.” The expression was used.

In the report, many different customers carried out transactions over the same IP and IP blocks, there were 31 thousand 115 users who received wallet-to-wallet transfers with high amounts despite low bank loading volume, 43 thousand 488 different customers were identified in connection with 238 accounts reported by TÖDEB (Turkish Payment and Electronic Money Institutions Association) related to illegal betting, 127 of the 337 central customers who had relations with at least 25 illegal betting-related customers were active, As a result of the network analysis, it was noted that 1777 active high-risk customers were identified.

The report stated that although these were previously caught by Papel’s Fraud rules, no action was taken, and that these data show that transaction flows at Papel do not consist of individual customer movements, but are organized and systematic transaction patterns that strengthen the possibility of collecting, distributing, circulating and transferring funds resulting from illegal betting and similar high-risk activities to the financial system through electronic money accounts.

In the report, it was noted that during the examination of the computers used within Papel, digital findings related to illegal betting were found, and the most striking element in these examinations was the widespread and systematic use of “random” transactions through customer accounts.

ILLEGAL BETTING CONVERSATIONS WERE FOUND IN THE CORRESPONDENCES OF PAPEL EMPLOYEES

In the indictment, it is stated that there are records, images, e-mails, social media posts, customer statements and transaction descriptions regarding the illegal betting connection, including many betting/gambling platforms, including at least 14 illegal betting sites. “It has been understood that Papel is shown as a direct payment/investment method in some social media images, special bonuses and promotions are offered to those who invest with Papel, and users are encouraged to deposit money to betting sites via Papel.” evaluation was made.

In the indictment, it is stated that there were expressions such as “I deposited a large amount of money and I cannot bet”, “I was depositing on ****bet”, “**bet deposit”, “mobile betting”, “We offer all kinds of bets, brother” in the customer correspondence, some accounts were considered as rental accounts, there were personnel correspondence such as “Collecting rental accounts and using them in bets”, users gave their account passwords to betting sites, there were high volume money movements in some accounts and the amounts were transferred out of the system in a short time. It was emphasized that it was determined.

CRIMINAL REQUESTS

In the indictment, the suspects, Seyhan İbrahim Yıldırım, Ferit Samuray, Asil Ersoydan, Ahmet Avar and Erol Albayrak, for whom an arrest warrant was issued, were asked to be sentenced to imprisonment from 12 to 27 years each for the crimes of “taking their assets abroad”, “advertising and otherwise encouraging people to play fixed odds or joint betting or games of chance based on sports competitions” and “establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime”.

The other 39 suspects were requested to be sentenced to imprisonment from 9 to 22 years each for the crimes of “being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing crimes”, “taking their assets abroad”, “advertising and otherwise encouraging people to play fixed odds or joint betting or games of chance based on sports competitions”.

The prepared indictment was sent to the criminal court of first instance for evaluation.

Deputy Mayor Şerife Yörükçü was also detained within the scope of the investigation carried out against Silifke Municipality in Mersin for various crimes such as “bribery”, “tender rigging” and “extortion”. An investigation was launched against some public officials in Silifke Municipality and the suspects who were considered to be in contact with these people, in line with the reports and evidence obtained. In the operation held on June 19, 18 people, including Mayor Mustafa Turgut and Deputy Mayor Ezgi Erdağ Demirtaş, Municipality Private Secretary ES, Municipality Property Manager EG, Municipality Development Manager Ş.SD, municipality employees and Silifke Municipality Sports Club managers, were detained, but the suspect EFK could not be reached. In the investigation carried out by the Silifke Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a detention order was also issued for Deputy Mayor Şerife Yörükçü. Yörükçü was detained yesterday and taken to the District Gendarmerie Command. The investigation into the incident continues.