As part of an investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into allegations that off-the-books money was transferred to companies abroad in connection with Melih Gökçek, journalist Murat Ağırel testified as a “witness.” Ağırel said he had submitted the documents and information in his possession to the prosecutor’s office.
Ağırel claimed that the company named “HAMAG,” established in Düsseldorf, Germany, by Gökçek, his son Ahmet Gökçek and his wife Hülya Gökçek, had reached assets worth 3 million 800 thousand euros in 2024, and that the company was later linked to 15 apartments and two commercial units, as well as a shopping center with 18 apartments and five commercial units. Noting that the investigation could be expanded, Ağırel said the prosecutor’s office was continuing its examination.
Why it matters
The significance of the development is that allegations previously reported in the public domain have become part of an official examination conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The documents and information submitted by Murat Ağırel give concrete shape to the scope of the examination concerning the prosecutor’s assessment of money movements and the companies’ links to assets and real estate. However, accounts concerning the company’s assets and its links to real estate cannot be regarded as conclusive findings before the investigation is completed. Whether the examination will be expanded remains an open question dependent on how the prosecutor’s office evaluates these documents and whether other individuals or transactions related to the allegations can be identified. Therefore, the current stage is not a determination of guilt, but a process in which the allegations are being tested by the official authorities.