11.07.2026 20:10
It has been revealed that artist Haluk Levent, who collected millions of dollars through the Ahbap Association with the promise of building housing for earthquake victims after the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, has not kept his word even three years after the disaster. Following Haluk Levent's conviction in a fake check case, earthquake victims in Malatya, who are confused, demand a full documentation of where the millions of dollars were spent.
Turkey, which lost tens of thousands in the February 6 earthquakes affecting 11 provinces, mobilized to heal the wounds after the disaster, and aid poured into the earthquake zones from all over the country. Immediately after the earthquake, the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), the Urban Transformation Department, Emlak Konut GYO, and the General Directorate of Construction Affairs, along with Baykar, initiated construction work at 3,481 construction sites across 174 different areas in 11 provinces. Since the date of the earthquake, a total of 455,357 structures—including 367,995 residences, 65,672 village houses, and 21,690 workplaces—have been completed and handed over to earthquake victims.
EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS ANGRY WITH HALUK LEVENT While wounds were being healed through state support, collaboration with non-governmental organizations, and philanthropists, earthquake victims expressed discontent after three years over unfulfilled promises made using the public's goodwill. Artist Haluk Levent launched a nationwide aid campaign via the Ahbap Association, where he serves as chairman, promising to build homes for earthquake victims after the devastating earthquakes. Under the campaign, which garnered significant attention, aid from within Turkey and abroad poured into the association for the construction of a total of 460 homes in Gaziantep's Nurdağı, and Malatya's Battalgazi and Arapgir districts. Through the association's official website and Haluk Levent's personal account, the public was urged to donate, and bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallet addresses for sending money were shared.
ALLEGEDLY $158 MILLION RAISED The amount of money raised under the campaign also became a topic of debate on social media. While it is estimated that $158 million in aid was collected, the failure to keep promises after three years caused outrage among earthquake victims. It was noted that 264 homes in Malatya's Battalgazi and Arapgir districts, with rough construction completed, were left idle and seemingly abandoned to decay. Although the association's website states that the homes in Malatya have been delivered, earthquake victims who inspected the area reacted to the situation. Earthquake-affected citizens expressed great disappointment and demanded detailed disclosure of where the substantial funds collected by the Ahbap Association were spent.
"THE SPENDING OF COLLECTED DONATIONS SHOULD BE EXPLAINED WITH DOCUMENTS" Earthquake victim İrfan Yılmaz said, "The fate of the donations collected by the Ahbap Association needs to be explained in detail to the public. On behalf of all earthquake victims, we want the process to be transparently revealed. These aids are the trust of the nation. We expect the spending of collected donations to be explained with documents. As earthquake victims, we demand accountability."
"LEAKS HAVE STARTED ON THE ROOFS OF THE BUILDINGS" Yılmaz stated that the materials used in the homes did not meet expectations given the amount of money collected, saying, "Leaks have started on the roofs of some buildings. There is moisture and mold on the ceilings, deficiencies in the plumbing systems, and pipes are exposed. These problems are occurring before the homes have even been handed over to the rightful owners. We don't think the structures will be long-lasting in this state. Everything is slapdash. Not well made. So much money was collected; where is this money? As an earthquake victim, I ask Haluk Levent. It's not very difficult to explain. Comparing the money with the invoices is very easy."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS MONEY?" İrfan Yılmaz also touched on the total judicial fine of 70 million TL and the ban on issuing checks imposed on artist Haluk Levent due to two bounced checks, saying:
"He wrote a check before, and that also bounced. Suspicious incidents keep piling up. Back then they said, 'There is Ahbap, there is no state.' How is there no state? Tent cities were set up quickly, then we moved to containers, and then to permanent homes. Not a single penny was even given to earthquake victims? There's a world of difference between the state's homes and these. TOKİ built 500,000 homes; they couldn't deliver 200 homes here. Why weren't they delivered? They didn't even put in a chimney. What happened to this money? Haluk Levent says 'I'll explain and leave'; there's no escaping like that. This is the earthquake victims' money; I demand an explanation."
Earthquake victim Nihat Toramanoğlu also stated that the settlement planning was not suitable for the local lifestyle, saying, "The homes were built in a cramped layout. A neighborhood order where families could live comfortably was not established. There are issues with the roof, floor coverings, plumbing, and other structural elements. The resulting picture gives the impression of a project completed in haste. It seems as if the architect ran away, and the laborers finished the job."
Toramanoğlu emphasized that he is also an earthquake victim but would not choose to live in these buildings as someone in need, saying, "We thank the Turkish people for their support. During the earthquake period, the dollar exchange rate was around 18-20 lira; today it is in the 45-50 lira range. The approximately 2.5-fold difference should be taken into account. It would not be right to evaluate materials purchased at that day's costs with today's figures. It is important that the spending of earthquake donations in various categories is disclosed to the public with documents."
HALUK LEVENT WAS PENALIZED IN A BOUNCED CHECK CASE Haluk Levent being sentenced to a judicial fine of approximately 70 million TL in a case where two checks he issued in 2025 bounced, and being banned from issuing checks and opening new check accounts, caused confusion among earthquake victims awaiting the fulfillment of his housing promise. Malatya-based earthquake victims, who argue that Levent's announcement that he would leave the Ahbap Association, which he founded in 2017, also created distrust, are waiting for the disclosure of the fate of the substantial amount of money collected. Levent had said he would explain the spending from donations item by item but has not done so.