21.10.2026 18:02
In the indictment prepared regarding Tolga Akış, founder and manager of the Manifest group, a prison sentence of 6 months to 3 years was sought on the charge of “mediating the publication of obscene publications.” The indictment alleged that Akış actively directed the group’s performances and commercial strategy, and that stage costumes were used as a marketing strategy. Akış, who is detained, had denied the accusations in his statement to the prosecutor.
The investigation conducted into Tolga Akış, founder of the Manifest group, has been completed. The prosecutor’s office alleged that Akış’s role was not limited to management.
PRISON SENTENCE OF UP TO 3 YEARS SOUGHT
The Smuggling, Narcotics and Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office completed the investigation into Tolga Akış. In the prepared indictment, it was requested that Akış be sentenced to between 6 months and 3 years in prison for the offense of “acting as an intermediary in the publication of obscene material.”
“MANAGEMENT BEYOND REPRESENTATION”
The indictment stated that Akış, the group’s producer and company owner, selected members through the “Big5 Türkiye” program, planned concerts through the management company, and handled the group’s financial affairs. It was alleged that Akış’s management role went beyond representation and that he actively shaped the group’s performances and commercial strategy.
COSTUMES ALLEGED TO BE A “MARKETING STRATEGY”
In the indictment, it was claimed that it was not possible for Akış not to know that the choreographies and published images could affect public morality, and that stage costumes were also used as a marketing strategy. The indictment emphasized that it was unacceptable for performances alleged to harm children’s psychological development to be made accessible to wide audiences without age restrictions, and it assessed that there was sufficient evidence that Akış committed the offense.
DRUG TEST CAME BACK NEGATIVE
The indictment also noted that no narcotic substances were found in blood, urine, and hair samples taken from Akış by the Forensic Medicine Institute.
AKIŞ: I HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY
In his statement to the prosecutor’s office, Akış, who did not accept the accusations, explained that the group’s members were selected through the “Big5 Türkiye” competition, which was still airing on YouTube. Stating that he was not responsible for the dance performance at the Küçükçiftlik Park concert on September 6, 2025, where the group’s 7 members were tried, Akış said he was not a suspect in that case.
Akış stated that 60 percent of the group’s income was shared equally among members, while 40 percent was allocated to project expenses, and he denied claims that members were forbidden from meeting others or forced to appear on stage while ill. Akış also said he did not use his accounts to launder criminal proceeds, that he voluntarily gave his phone password to the police, and that he had no connection to bot accounts.
“THE MESSAGES WERE FOR HUMOROUS PURPOSES”
Akış argued that the messages circulating on social media were intended as humor and did not reflect the truth, and he claimed that these messages were shared out of context by photographer M.A.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
The dance moves and stage performance at the Manifest group’s concert at Küçükçiftlik Park in Istanbul on September 6, 2025, had caused controversy. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had launched an ex officio investigation into the concert, and the Ankara 6th Criminal Court of Peace had also imposed an access ban on the concert footage. After some municipalities canceled concerts, the group announced that its Türkiye tour had been canceled.
In the case heard at the Istanbul 49th Criminal Court of First Instance, the group’s 6 members and Aydeed (Ayça Dalaklı), with whom they appeared on stage, had been sentenced in December 2025 to 3 months and 22 days in prison for the offense of “engaging in indecent acts through exposure.” The court had decided to defer the announcement of the verdict.
In August 2026, after photographer M.A., who had previously worked with the group, made numerous allegations on social media about Akış and his wife, Akış was detained at the airport on August 27 while preparing to travel to Izmir. Akış, who was processed on charges of “obscenity,” “use of narcotic substances,” and “laundering assets derived from crime,” was arrested on August 28 on the charge of “acting as an intermediary in the publication of obscene material.” Akış’s lawyer, Kaya Pulat, argued that the arrest was based on the same acts as the concluded concert case.