Haluk Levent detained in Ahbap Derneği probe, claims innocence

Singer and Ahbap Derneği founder Haluk Levent was taken into custody in Bursa as part of a wide‑ranging investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. He faces charges of opposing the Associations Law, money‑laundering, and membership in an organized crime group. Prosecutors allege that disaster‑relief donations collected after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes were diverted to personal accounts, used for high‑stakes betting and transferred to Levent’s assistant Yeliz Kaya. The probe initially listed 21 suspects; a later update raised the number of detained individuals to 22, including Levent’s lawyer Ece Güner. Levent posted on X that his personal debt‑related transactions have been wrongly linked to Ahbap, that he had repeatedly messaged Interior Minister Bülent Turan demanding an audit of the charity’s activities, and warned “wait for the real bomb” as he prepares further explanations. The case has drawn comments from MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli and prompted a limited audit by the Turkish Association of Certified Public Accountants (TÜRMOB), which found no irregularities in the association’s own accounts. Authorities have seized cash, gold, documents and digital material during raids on Ahbap offices.