21.07.2026 11:11
The defense of Emre Kartaloğlu, former head of TÜRMOB and the CHP's "Shadow Minister," who was detained alongside Oğuzhan Uğur in the investigation into the Ahbap Association, has been revealed in court. Kartaloğlu stated that he did not accept the charges against him, claiming that they received a request for an audit from the Ahbap Association, but argued that the report they prepared as a result of this audit was a "limited determination report."
Within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Ahbap Association, a second wave of operations was carried out. In this context, 9 suspects, including social media phenomenon Oğuzhan Uğur and former TÜRMOB President Emre Kartaloğlu, who served as the head of the Trade and Policy Board established within the CHP's Presidential Candidate Office, were arrested late last night.
"NO IRREGULARITY FOUND" REPORT BECAME HIS DOWNFALL
It is stated that Kartaloğlu, who is still a member of the CHP Party Assembly, is being charged due to the "No irregularity found" report he prepared for the association following the February 6 earthquakes during his tenure as President of the Union of Chambers of Certified Public Accountants and Sworn-in Certified Public Accountants of Turkey (TÜRMOB).
HIS DEFENSE REVEALED
Emre Kartaloğlu was arrested yesterday by the duty judge of the Criminal Court of Peace. Kartaloğlu's defense statement before the judge has been revealed.
In his defense, Kartaloğlu stated that he understood the allegations against him and repeated the statements he had previously given to the police and the prosecutor's office, saying, "I worked at the Ministry of Finance for 10 years, then served as a Sworn-in Certified Public Accountant for about 15 years, and served as the President of TÜRMOB between 2019 and 2025. After the earthquake disaster, we launched a relief campaign for our citizens in the region, and we received requests to audit whether the funds collected by aid associations for us, especially our colleagues, were reaching the right places."
"THE AUDIT REQUEST CAME FROM THE ASSOCIATION"
Stating that a written audit request came from the Ahbap Association, Kartaloğlu continued his defense as follows:
"A written audit request came from the Ahbap Association; we accepted this request and conducted our audits. Our audit covered the period between 06/02/2023 and 30/06/2023; this report we prepared is a limited findings report. We audited the funds deposited in Vakıfbank and İşbank. I did not commit the alleged crimes; I merely evaluated the incoming request and directed it to the audit team. I do not know anyone outside the audit team in the file. I am innocent. I have a bedridden mother with Alzheimer's who needs care and two daughters. If I am arrested, my family will be victimized. Up until coming here, I provided all possible assistance to the authorities at every stage. I shared my phone information. I have no evidence to hide or conceal. I request to be released."
WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?
In the Ahbap investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in coordination with the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Branch, suspects including Haluk Levent are facing charges of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "qualified fraud," and "money laundering."
The suspects arrested in the second wave operation, including Oğuzhan Uğur and Emre Kartaloğlu, are facing charges of "misuse of trust due to service" and "money laundering."