11.12.2025 01:55
In the drug investigation, journalists Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Ufuk Tetik, Mustafa Manaz, and Ebru Gülan were arrested and subsequently detained by the peace criminal court. The other four suspects were released under judicial control. In the prosecutor's referral letter, it was alleged that after the use of narcotic substances, more than two people engaged in sexual intercourse together, and that Ersoy provided financial benefits by involving women in sexual relations with individuals around him in this manner.
'Drug' investigation led to the detention of Habertürk's Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Akif Ersoy, along with Mustafa Manaz, Ufuk Tetik, and Ebru Gülan, who were referred to the magistrate court with a request for arrest. The four suspects were arrested by the court they were brought before.
MEHMET AKİF ERSOY DETAINED
As part of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a detention order was issued for 8 suspects on charges of 'Purchasing Drugs or Stimulants for Personal Use', 'Possessing or Keeping', or 'Using Drugs or Stimulants, Providing Place and Opportunity for Use'. The suspects, including former Habertürk Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Akif Ersoy, were detained by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command teams last night.
SUSPECTS TRANSFERRED TO COURT
The detained suspects Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Ufuk Tetik, Elif Kılınç, Dilara Yıldız, Mustafa Manaz, Gizem Aybaktı, Ebru Gülan, and Buse Öztay were transferred to the courthouse after a health check at the Forensic Medicine Institution. Meanwhile, Ufuk Tetik, one of the suspects brought to the courthouse, hit the camera of a press member recording the incident.
ERSOY AND 3 SUSPECTS ARRESTED
While Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Mustafa Manaz, Ufuk Tetik, and Ebru Gülan were referred to the magistrate court with a request for arrest, suspects Gizem Aybaktı, Buse Öztay, Elif Kılınç, and Dilara Yıldız were referred to the court with a request for judicial control in the form of a 'travel ban'. Ersoy, Manaz, Tetik, and Gülan were arrested by the court they were brought before. The other four suspects were released under judicial control conditions.
"SEXUAL INTERCOURSE AFTER DRUG USE"
Additionally, in the letter sent to the magistrate court by the Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the secret witness statements, information provider testimonies, and suspect defenses in the file were evaluated together. It was noted that the person mentioned in the secret witness statements, along with the location and actions, matched the individuals and meeting points mentioned in the suspects' statements, and that the suspects made defenses aimed at "escaping from the crime". In the request letter, it was claimed that the suspects provided place and opportunity for drug use in their residences, supplied drugs to women who came to their homes, and that more than two people engaged in sexual intercourse after drug use.
"ERSOY PROFITED BY INVOLVING WOMEN IN INTERCOURSE"
Furthermore, it was alleged that suspect Mehmet Akif Ersoy, by involving women in intercourse with individuals around him, provided "sectoral and material benefits" for himself and his circle.
The Prosecutor's Office stated that it was understood that Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Mustafa Manaz, Ufuk Tetik, and Ebru Gülan committed the alleged crimes in "unity of thought and action", in participation. The letter stated that there was "strong suspicion of the crime attributed to them", that the evidence in the investigation file had not yet been fully collected, and that the suspects could influence the evidence if released.
For these reasons, considering the nature and characteristics of the crimes attributed to the suspects, the current state of evidence, and the upper limits of the penalties foreseen in the law, their arrest was requested in accordance with Articles 100 and following of the Code of Criminal Procedure No. 5271.
Source: ANKA