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Turkish singer Haluk Levent was detained on Sunday as part of an investigation into the Ahbap Association over alleged money laundering, membership in a criminal organization and violations of Türkiye's Associations Law.
Levent was taken into custody in the northwestern province of Bursa by officers from the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit and was being transferred for further procedures, according to the information provided.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation into Levent in connection with Ahbap, a humanitarian organization he founded and led.
According to the prosecutor's office, Levent allegedly used bank accounts registered to several other people because he could not use a personal account. One of the accounts was reportedly registered in the name of his assistant, identified only as Yeliz K.
Investigators said they had traced approximately ₺20 million ($2.8 million) in transfers from the association to accounts allegedly used by Levent.
The prosecutor's office also claimed that there were serious indications that funds held by the association had been moved through negotiable financial instruments and personal accounts, effectively draining the charity's resources.
The statement said an account belonging to Alper C., one of the association's founders, had been used to place ₺990 million in legal bets between 2020 and 2026, resulting in reported losses of ₺390 million.
Prosecutors said the volume of the betting transactions had deepened suspicions surrounding the financial activity under investigation. They also claimed that Levent, who had already been placed under a travel ban, was preparing to leave the country, prompting authorities to move ahead with the detention operation.
In a separate strand of the investigation, prosecutors alleged that properties had been obtained from victims by using the association's name and promises of charitable support.
The properties were reportedly transferred to Yeliz K. before being registered in the names of other suspects. The prosecutor's statement put the alleged losses connected to this scheme at approximately $60 million.
Authorities further alleged that some properties belonging to the association had been registered under the suspects' personal names.
The prosecutor's office said donations collected following the devastating earthquakes of Feb. 6, 2023, had allegedly been transferred into personal accounts, used for betting or passed on to third parties.
The statement emphasized that the funds had been donated by members of the public seeking to help people affected by the disaster. The suspects were detained after investigators identified the alleged transfers, prosecutors said.
Before his detention, Levent had announced that he was considering stepping down as head of Ahbap after the completion of ongoing projects and another audit of the association's earthquake-related spending.
During a livestreamed social media statement, Levent said he was not "Superman" and acknowledged that he had shortcomings and could make mistakes.
"I would like to state here that after completing our ongoing projects in the coming months and successfully passing the next audit, I will hand over the Ahbap presidency to the next chairperson. I will continue working with Ahbap as a volunteer," he said.
Levent said at the time that the organization had carried out extensive work but that he had reached the decision to prevent the public from forming a misleading impression.
The allegations remain part of an ongoing investigation, and the provided statements did not include a court ruling against Levent or the other suspects.
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