14.03.2025 08:21
As part of the illegal betting investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Flash TV, Pozitifbank, and Payfix have been seized. A simultaneous dawn operation was carried out against 59 suspects, including Erkan K., the owner of these companies, in the investigation, which is believed to have a financial impact of 6 billion 900 million TL.
According to the news by Ceylan Sever from Habertürk, a dawn operation was carried out against 59 individuals, including Erkan K., the owner of Pozitifbank, Payfix Payment Institution, and Flash TV, as part of the illegal betting investigation initiated by the Organized Crime Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Erkan K. is alleged to be the leader of the organization in the investigation conducted for the crimes of "Establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "Money laundering of assets derived from crime," and "Violation of Law No. 7258 on the Regulation of Betting and Gambling in Football and Other Sports Competitions."
ALLEGATION THAT PAYFIX WAS ESTABLISHED FOR ILLEGAL BETTING
According to the allegations in the prosecutor's illegal betting investigation file, Erkan K. entered the financial system in 2014 with the company "TroyinBilişim" and conducted illegal betting activities. It is claimed that he established the payment institution named "Payfix," which was used as an organizational system with the revenues obtained from illegal betting. Domains referred to as panels by illegal betting barons were integrated into the Payfix financial software system through the software developed within the Payfix company. In this way, many foreign-based virtual betting sites operated in Turkey. According to the allegations in the investigation file, suspects who were subject to arrest warrants provided money transfer and financial security services to illegal betting sites using the infrastructure of the Payfix Payment Institution. Fake Payfix accounts were opened in the names of third parties, and the revenues obtained from betting were circulated and masked within these fake accounts.
WHAT DOES THE REPORT OF MASAK AND THE CENTRAL BANK CONTAIN?
According to the findings in the audit reports of MASAK and the Central Bank, 80,011 different money transfer clusters were detected in the database system of the Payfix Payment Institution. It was determined that these clusters had a total of 211,109 accounts. It was noted that 855 of these accounts were considered risky in terms of illegal betting. In the reports, which are claimed to show similarities to the typology of illegal betting, it was recorded that 4 billion 223 million 399 thousand 614 TL and 26 kuruş were sent from the bank accounts of the analyzed individuals to the bank accounts of cryptocurrency service providers. When the IP addresses used in these money transfer transactions were examined, it was claimed that 49 million 671 thousand 178 money transfers received by 43,861 Payfix wallet accounts between August 21 and October 19, 2023, were related to betting transactions.
WAS POZİTİFBANK PURCHASED WITH MONEY DERIVED FROM CRIME?
In the investigation file, it is alleged that the suspects, including Erkan K., managed the Payfix Payment Institution by acting in a relationship of trust with each other. It was stated in the investigation file that the suspects purchased PozitifBank with the income obtained from the crime, and later established many commercial companies such as Capital Türk Holding, Ay Para Payment Institution A.Ş., and Ininal Payment and Electronic Money Services A.Ş. It was also alleged that they laundered the proceeds of crime by taking over many companies and thus obtained unjust profits.
ASSETS WORTH 6 BILLION 900 MILLION TL SEIZED
As part of the operation, 17 residences, 9 plots, 1 office, 13 vehicles, and personal bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets belonging to Erkan K., who is alleged to be the organization leader, and the suspects who are claimed to be members were seized. Additionally, a total of 23 companies, including Pozitifbank, Flash TV, and Payfix Payment Institution, and a total of 114 vehicles belonging to these companies; as well as the partnership shares of the companies, including company cryptocurrency wallets, were seized, with a total financial impact area estimated to be 6 billion 900 million TL.