11.08.2026 21:10
Details have emerged of the prosecutor's statement of UltrAslan leader Sebahattin Sirin, who was detained as part of an investigation into illegal betting and sports crimes. Sirin, who chanted 'Freedom for Mr. Ocalan' while being taken to the hospital, argued in his prosecutor's statement that his words were intended to support the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process and the country's unity and solidarity. Sirin explained the approximately 65 million lira worth of cash and jewelry seized at his home as savings and wedding gifts.
Details of the statement given to the prosecutor by Sebahattin (Muzaffer) Şirin, the leader of UltrAslan, who was detained within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Cumhuriyet Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, have been obtained.
HE EXPLAINED THE 65 MILLION TL HE HID IN DIFFERENT PLACES AT HOME AS 'JEWELRY'
Within the scope of the investigation, a search was conducted at Şirin's address. During the search, 796,400 lira, along with 82,953 dollars, 18,820 pounds sterling, and 918,595 euros, were found. Additionally, jewelry items valued at approximately 12,477,000 lira were detected in the house.
Upon the money being found in various parts of the house, Şirin stated that he preferred to keep cash and did not hold money in banks. He claimed that the money at home consisted of savings accumulated over many years and cash gifted at his son's wedding, who got married approximately 8 months ago.
Making a similar explanation for the jewelry, Şirin said these were items passed down as family savings from past years and pieces gifted at weddings.
51 MILLION TL TRANSACTION VOLUME IN HIS AND HIS SON'S ACCOUNTS
In the MASAK report in the investigation file, it was stated that approximately 51 million TL of activity was detected in the bank accounts of Muzaffer Şirin and his son İbrahim Şamil Şirin. Şirin argued that this money flow resulted from his commercial activities.
Muzaffer Şirin stated that his son worked as a driver and also dealt with buying and selling mobile phones. However, Şirin, stating that he had no information about the amount of income his son earned, claimed that he had no connection with the transactions in the bank accounts.
HE ALSO EXPLAINED THE SOURCE OF THE UNLICENSED GUN
During the search, in addition to an unlicensed pistol and ammunition, 4 ballistic vests were found. Şirin said he bought the pistol approximately 5-6 months ago from a seasonal worker he thought was a Georgian citizen in the Of district of Trabzon for 45,000 lira. He claimed he bought the gun to protect himself because he received threats for fighting drugs in the stands.
Şirin stated that he bought one of the ballistic vests from Zeytinburnu, and another was given to him by an acquaintance named 'Hakan', adding that he did not know how the remaining two vests ended up in his house.
HE ADMITTED TO HIS POST MENTIONING MINISTER GÜRLEK
Şirin also admitted that the post he made on his social media account on August 8, 2026, at 23:56, belonged to him.
In his post, Şirin touched upon the claims that a group within the state would make Fenerbahçe champions this season and the mention of Justice Minister Akın Gürlek's name in these statements, arguing that he did not give credence to these claims himself.
Şirin claimed that his aim was not to target Minister Gürlek, but to draw attention to the posts he saw on social media, essentially to report and inform the Ministry. He also stated that he supports the Justice Minister's efforts regarding unsolved incidents.
'TERROR-FREE TURKEY' DEFENSE FOR ÖCALAN SLOGAN
Images of Şirin shouting slogans such as 'Freedom for Sayın Öcalan' while being taken to the hospital were also included in the file. Şirin admitted to using these expressions but argued that his words were intended to support the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process and Turkey's unity and solidarity.
Şirin, who also claimed that Mossad was behind the operation, alleged that he was targeted because of his support for Palestine and that he was on FETÖ's target list. It was noted that there was no concrete document in the file regarding these claims.
HE DID NOT ACCEPT THE TICKET SCALPING ACCUSATION
Şirin also denied the accusations of ticket scalping and drugs directed at him within the scope of the investigation, rejecting the claim that unjust profit was obtained through the Galatasaray fan group.
Şirin argued that the club did not distribute free tickets to fans, that a 50 percent discount was applied for students, and that tickets were not sold above their value.
His lawyers, stating that there was no concrete evidence in the file showing income obtained from ticket scalping, claimed that the money and jewelry seized at the house consisted of their client's past savings, not proceeds of crime. The defense requested Şirin's release and a decision of non-prosecution regarding him.