15.04.2025 21:22
In the fraud case known to the public as the "high-yield secret fund," in which former bank manager Seçil Erzan is also being tried, the former General Manager of Denizbank, Hakan Ateş, who is a defendant not in custody, gave his statement today at the Bodrum Courthouse. Fatih Terim, one of the complainants in the case where Arda Turan, Fernando Muslera, Emre Belözoğlu, and Selçuk İnan are alleged to have been defrauded, did not attend this hearing.
It is claimed that former bank manager Seçil Erzan, who allegedly defrauded dozens of people, including well-known figures in the football world such as Arda Turan, Fernando Muslera, Emre Belözoğlu, and Selçuk İnan, appeared before the judge in the trial where the defendant Hakan Ateş is being tried without detention.
FATİH TERİM DID NOT ATTEND THE HEARING In the hearing held at the Bodrum 2nd High Criminal Court upon instruction within the main file in Istanbul, the defendant Hakan Ateş appeared before the judge. In addition to Ateş, his lawyers and the representatives of the complainants were also present at the hearing. While the lawyer of Seçil Erzan, who is accused of a fraud amounting to approximately 25 million dollars and 7 million 384 thousand liras, did not attend the hearing, Fatih Terim, who is among the complainants, was also absent from the courtroom. It was learned that Terim submitted his excuse letter through his lawyer.
"I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH A THING" During the hearing, Hakan Ateş was asked questions regarding some money movements and witness statements within the scope of the file. The statement procedures continued throughout the day. After the instruction hearing, Selçuk İnan, who is the lawyer for names such as Emre Çolak, Emrah Çolak, and Fernando Muslera, made a statement in front of the courthouse, saying, "Questions were asked about whether he knew Seçil Erzan, whether he knew the victims, when he became aware of this incident, what instructions he gave first when he became aware, whether it was a fund managed by him, or whether there was a secret or hidden fund. The defendant answered these, and we had other questions as well. Hakan Ateş also answered those, summarizing, 'I have no knowledge, I have no knowledge of such a thing.' He stated that this was an act carried out by Seçil Erzan. We expressed that this was not true based on both Seçil's statements in the file, some audio recordings, and the accounts of some witnesses, and we asked questions about it, but he rejected the questions and did not answer many of them. We did not find this convincing. The trial will continue on Monday at the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court. We will present our comprehensive statements there. There is still a pending expert report in the file. With the newly arrived indictment, Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu were added as defendants. Within the scope of that indictment, the statements of the complainants are being taken. The court is asking them to declare their damages. These statements will be collected, and there is a pending expert report in the file, after which perhaps the court will enter the process of reaching a conclusion," he said.
"HE SAID IT WAS A NON-CASH TRANSACTION" Lawyer Bilginer stated, "In this case, the bank has been saying from the beginning that the money was delivered by the complainants outside the bank and that it was not recorded in the bank's records, and that the bank is not responsible for actions that occurred outside the bank. However, the complainants stated that transactions such as receiving and giving money outside the bank, which are called non-cash transactions, are normal procedures at Denizbank, that this has happened many times, and that bank employees came to the Florya Metin Oktay facilities, where perhaps the football players never went to the branch, to have them sign. When we were asked about this, Seçil Erzan confirmed that this was true, that there were non-cash transactions, and that he had gone to the facilities many times in this way, even stating that he had gone to the place where Fatih coach was. However, high-level officials and branch employees of Denizbank, who were previously heard at the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court, had stated that such a transaction had never occurred and that non-cash transactions had never been made. Today, when Hakan Ateş was asked, he stated that it was a non-cash transaction, that it was done for some names, and that this was a normal practice of Denizbank. Therefore, the defense of Denizbank that transactions made outside the bank do not concern us has been refuted today by its general manager. We understand from this that this is a normal practice, and therefore it is quite normal for the complainants, who have been subjected to this practice for years, not to have any extraordinary thoughts when delivering money to the branch manager outside the bank," he noted. The hearings of the case will continue in Istanbul.