20.10.2026 15:11
New Party Erzincan MP Mustafa Sarıgül's ex-wife Aylin Kotil, his son Ömer Sarıgül, journalist Murat Ağırel, and 15 suspects in total were arrested on allegations of money laundering. After this development, Deniz Baykal's words to Mustafa Sarıgül, whom he competed against at the party congress, resurfaced.
An investigation continues in Istanbul into allegations that large amounts of money of unknown origin were laundered through companies established domestically and abroad.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A TIP-OFF
The investigation began after a tip-off from two German citizens. The German complainants alleged that transactions were carried out through companies to launder large amounts of dirty money of unknown origin. The complainants claimed that 100 million euros worth of money was illegally taken abroad and that a fund of 1 billion euros was promised to be transferred abroad through a loan. The German citizens alleged that they were threatened after they handed over the relevant documents to journalist Murat Ağırel. Following these statements, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation.
DETENTION ORDERS ISSUED FOR 17 PEOPLE
After the work, detention orders were issued for 17 people, including journalist Murat Ağırel; Aylin Kotil, former wife of New Party Erzincan MP Mustafa Sarıgül; and her sons Ömer Sarıgül and Emir Sarıgül. The suspects other than Emir Sarıgül were detained in operations carried out by police teams. Sarıgül surrendered three days after the operation by going to the police station with his lawyer. Uğur Kurtulan, owner of the National Criminal Bureau, who prepared the report stating that the footage about Mustafa Sarıgül and Deniz Baykal's tape were doctored, was also among those detained.
SARIGÜL FAMILY ARRESTED
Of the suspects referred to the courthouse, 15 suspects were arrested, including journalist Murat Ağırel, Aylin Kotil and Ömer Sarıgül. Uğur Kurtulan and one other person were released under judicial control conditions. Emir Sarıgül's processing at the police station is ongoing.
BAYKAL'S WORDS BACK ON THE AGENDA
As the repercussions of the incident continued, the words former CHP leader Deniz Baykal said to Mustafa Sarıgül, whom he competed against at the party congress, came back on the agenda. Baykal had included the following statements about Sarıgül at the congress: "Not only in Switzerland, but in any of the world's two hundred states, in any one of thousands of banks, not only a dollar account; a ruble account, a euro account... I said that if you find, not four million dollars but ten dollars, not only in my name but in my wife's name and my children's name, I will do what is necessary. A person who says, 'I will become the leader of the Republican People's Party,' must be able to say this. Of course, being able to say this cannot be done with words alone. You must have arranged your life in such a way that you can say this. You must have spent your thirty years thinking that one day you would be challenged like this; you must have lived it, and your family and children must have lived it."