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Actor Hazal Kaya, comedian Sahan Gokbakar and journalist Fatih Altayli are among six public figures summoned for questioning as part of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office investigation into Ahbap Association, a Turkish charity, bringing renewed attention to a widening probe over alleged financial misconduct.
They join journalists Rusen Cakir and Ozlem Gurses and social media figure Fatih Koparan, who were also called to give statements. Their summons follows a string of similar calls made to other public figures in recent days.
A day earlier, journalists Ece Uner and Fatih Portakal, lawyer Feyza Altun, singer Gokhan Ozoguz and presenter Oyku Serter gave statements to prosecutors.
Portakal told investigators he had no personal relationship with Ahbap Association founder Haluk Levent or with social media figure Oguzhan Ugur beyond professional contact, and said he regretted expressing confidence in the charity without verifying how donated funds were used.
Uner said she felt misled if media reports about the charity prove accurate, noting she had made no personal donations and had previously called for transparency in how funds were handled.
Ozoguz said his contact with Levent was limited to a brief phone call after the February 2023 earthquakes centered on Kahramanmaras, a province in southern Turkiye near the Syrian border, and that he made no transfers to accounts linked to Levent, Ugur or the charity.
Serter, a former reporter who covered the 1999 Adapazari earthquake, said she had no personal or financial relationship with Levent and had not directed donations to Ahbap Association or any private charity.
The investigation centers on allegations that donations collected after Turkiye's February 2023 earthquakes were diverted into personal accounts, used for gambling, or transferred to third parties.
Prosecutors allege that after Levent, who was taken into custody in the northwestern city of Bursa, was placed under a travel ban and began preparing to leave the country, an operation was launched leading to his arrest.
According to the prosecutor's office, roughly 120 million Turkish lira (about $2.5 million) flowed from the charity into accounts belonging to Levent's assistant, Yeliz Kaya, with real estate allegedly transferred to her later registered under other names, resulting in an alleged $60 million in losses.
Charity co-founder Alper Celik is separately accused of placing about 990 million lira (around $21 million) in legal betting wagers between 2020 and 2026, losing close to 390 million lira (about $8.3 million).
The case is being pursued under charges including violating Turkiye's Law on Associations, laundering proceeds of crime and organized criminal membership.
Social media figure Oguzhan Ugur was ordered arrested earlier in the probe, raising the total number held in custody to 27.
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