Türkiye's investigation into alleged misuse of donations collected for earthquake victims continued Friday as several well-known public figures appeared before prosecutors to give statements over their support for the Ahbap Association during the aftermath of the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes.
Actor Hazal Kaya, journalist Ruşen Çakır and broadcaster Özlem Gürses testified as part of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into allegations that donations collected on behalf of the association were transferred to the accounts of suspects and misused.
The investigation has already resulted in the arrest of 28 suspects, including Ahbap founder Haluk Levent and Babala TV founder Oğuzhan Uğur, on allegations of establishing a criminal organization, aggravated fraud and laundering proceeds of crime. After completing their testimonies, Kaya, Çakır and Gürses left the courthouse.
Prosecutors questioned Çakır over his public support for Ahbap during the earthquake response. He said he had never known Levent personally and had relied on information from fellow journalists reporting from the disaster zone, who said the association was providing significant assistance to survivors.
