23.07.2026 11:41
It was alleged that Berkant Acil, brother of Haluk Levent who was arrested in the Ahbap Association investigation, emptied the Şile Municipality's treasury through a shell company established via artists. In the findings of the bribery and bid-rigging investigation into Şile Municipality, it was determined that while approximately 22.79 million TL worth of invoices were issued from the municipal treasury, a total of 1.93 million TL was paid to the artists. Thirteen suspects were arrested within the scope of the investigation.
Within the scope of the investigation conducted against Şile Municipality on charges of "establishing and being a member of an organization for the purpose of committing a crime", "bribery", "graft" and "fraud in tenders", organic financial relationships and irregular check usage between Ahbap Association and Şile Municipality were identified.
CRIME SUSPICION IN 6 DIFFERENT ACTS
In the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, in operations against the criminal organization allegedly managed by Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı, new crime suspicions regarding 6 different acts were reached as a result of evaluating statements taken within the scope of effective remorse provisions, witness statements, documents considered related to bribery, examinations of suspects' mobile phones, HTS records and bank account movements together.
13 ARRESTS
In this context, simultaneous operations were carried out at a total of 21 addresses in Istanbul and İzmir on June 26. While 17 of the 18 suspects for whom detention orders were issued were caught during the operation, the 1 fugitive suspect was later detained. Of the suspects whose prosecutor's office procedures were completed, 13 were referred to the duty criminal court with a request for arrest, and 4 with a request for judicial control. The court decided to arrest the 13 suspects referred with an arrest request, while 4 suspects were released under judicial control. Among the arrested suspects was Haluk Levent's brother, Berkant Acil.
IRREGULARITY BETWEEN AHBAP AND THE MUNICIPALITY
Within the scope of the investigation, organic financial relationships and irregular check usage between Ahbap Association and Şile Municipality were identified in the investigation conducted against Şile Municipality on charges of "establishing and being a member of an organization for the purpose of committing a crime", "bribery", "graft" and "fraud in tenders".
In the expert report and witness statements prepared in the investigation against Şile Municipality, significant allegations were made regarding the tender for the "35th International Şile Cloth Festival". The report assessed that although the tender was officially awarded to Sur Müzik, this company was a front; the organization was actually carried out by Haluk Levent's brother Berkant Acil's company Koşan Adam, and activities were undertaken to make the progress payments from the municipality untraceable by circulating them between company and personal accounts.
FORMER PRIVATE SECRETARY DIRECTOR CONFESSED
Among the suspects giving statements in this context, former Private Secretary Director Oğuz Kaçmaz said, "The tender was given to Koşan Adam, on paper Sur Müzik won it. The other bidding companies were also organically connected to Sur Müzik." The expert report assessed that Sur Müzik was the front contractor and Koşan Adam was the actual organizer. It was also stated that most of the artists and presenters at the festival did not know Sur Müzik and that the job was brought to them by the company Koşan Adam. The file also contained various statements regarding Mayor Özgür Kabadayı's demand for a bribe for awarding the tender to Berkant Acil.
THE MAYOR GAVE INSTRUCTIONS
According to what Cultural Coordinator Furkan Yapıcı recounted, it was stated that Oğuz Kaçmaz told Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı that Arif Sevik requested 4 million TL and phones; that he knew the bribe was 3 million TL, knew about the phones but did not know about the 1 million TL difference, and thus he understood that Mayor Özgür Kabadayı was aware of the bribe.
The file also revealed that, along with bribery confessions, there were differences between the fees paid to artists at the festival and the invoices issued to the municipality, and the municipality's treasury was drained through this method.
37 THOUSAND TO THE ARTIST, 1 MILLION 750 THOUSAND TO THE COMPANY
Within the scope of the investigation, it was revealed that although most of the singers whose witness statements were taken stated they received work through Koşan Adam, a significant portion of the payments were made through Sur Müzik. Most of the artists stated they did not know Sur Müzik at all. At this point, according to the expert examination, a difference of millions of liras emerged between the invoices issued to the municipality and the fees actually received by the artists.
As examples in the report, it was noted that for Sena Şener, 1 million TL was invoiced to the municipality and 50 thousand TL paid to the artist; for Can Bonomo, 2 million 250 thousand TL and 250 thousand TL; for Sıla, 6 million 200 thousand TL and 625 thousand TL; for Erdal Erzincan, 1 million 750 thousand TL and 37 thousand 500 TL; for Melek Mosso, 3 million 500 thousand TL and 312 thousand 500 TL.
According to the expert calculation, in the items that could be examined, approximately 22.79 million TL in invoices were issued from the municipal budget, while the total amount actually received by artists and presenters was approximately 1.93 million TL, revealing a difference of 20.86 million TL.
ALLEGATION FOR MAYOR: "HE HIRED HIS LOVER AT THE MUNICIPALITY"
It was alleged that Mayor Özgür Kabadayı placed his lover in a job at the municipality.
In the witness statement given by former presenter Mutlu Ulusoy, who participated in the Şile Municipality Festival as a host, it was explained that she became close with Mayor Özgür Kabadayı after the festival. The famous presenter's statement indicated that there was an intense emotional relationship between her and Kabadayı; and that Mayor Kabadayı said he maintained his marriage because of his children. It was stated by Ulusoy that after this process, in October-November 2024, she started working at Şile Municipality through Mercan Köşk and resigned after working in the social media unit for about two months. In the same statement, it was noted that some people at the municipality were aware of the relationship between him and Mayor Özgür Kabadayı, and that Berkant Acil also met with the mayor regarding his unpaid progress payments.
PROGRESS PAYMENTS RETURNED TO THE SAME ACCOUNTS
According to the expert report, while progress payments from the municipality were made through Sur Müzik for artist payments amounting to 2 million TL, the remaining payments were first transferred to related company accounts. Then, the money was distributed in pieces from the companies and personal accounts of Berk and Mert Ulu, who handled the festival's sound systems, to Berkant Acil, Mehmet Sait Köse, and other individual accounts of the Köse family.
The report assessed that the progress payments originating from the municipality were circulated through numerous company and personal accounts contrary to commercial practices; the economic justification of the transactions could not be determined, and the financial structures of Sur Müzik and Koşan Adam were intertwined.
OWNER OF THE "FRONT COMPANY" SHOWED EFFECTIVE REMORSE
Mehmet Sait Köse, owner of SUR Müzik, also stated that he wanted to benefit from the provisions of effective remorse, and in his statement, he stated that the tender was taken through his company upon the proposal of Berkant Acil and Arif Sevik.
Köse stated that all negotiations with the municipality were conducted by Arif Sevik; he never met with the artists and signed the authorization documents issued under the name Sur Music, handing them over to Arif Sevik.
Köse also claimed that before an approximately 13 million TL payment, Arif Sevik told him that Mayor Özgür Kabadayı requested 4 million TL, and that if the money was not paid, the payment would not be made. He further alleged that after consulting with Berkant Acil, they had to pay this amount to receive the funds.
175 MILLION TL CASH TRANSACTION VOLUME
MASAK reports revealed that there were millions of TL worth of transactions between Haluk Levent's assistant Yeliz Kaya and Berkant Acil. Additionally, a 175 million TL cash transaction volume in Kaya's accounts was among the details. When Acil was questioned about account activities related to a deposit of up to 1.5 million dollars, he reportedly defended it as "payment for courtesy checks given to Haluk Levent."
HALUK LEVENT'S BROTHER WARNED KAYA
In communications between Haluk Levent's assistant Yeliz Kaya and her brother Berkant Acil, it was revealed that Acil told Kaya, "Knowing Haluk, how could you still sign the checks? How will you save yourself? Didn't you ever think, if trouble comes your way, who will save you?" Additionally, in another message reportedly sent by Berkant Acil on April 14, he told Yeliz Kaya, "You will see in the media how you emptied Ahbap's treasury for personal debts as Haluk's assistant, how you used Ahbap's checks for personal debts. I have given it to journalist friends and will also give it to the prosecutor's office."