Turkey’s Underground in 2022: Murder, money and political corruption

Revelations and accusations by famous mobster Sedat Peker, revealed close ties between the state, mafia and politicians in May 2021. Following Peker’s revelations the public turned its eyes to mafia showdowns that were taking place. Much like 2021, 2022 has been a year full of mafia-related scandals, accusations and murders

• The Murder of Şafak Yazıcıoğlu

2022 started with a high-profile murder. Attorney Şafak Mahmutyazıcıoğlu, former director of the famous Istanbul football club BJK, was murdered in his own restaurant by unidentified gunmen. The 42 year old attorney was immediately rushed to the hospital but  was pronounced dead. Yazıcıoğlu had previously represented the infamous mob boss Alaatin Çakıcı.

• The Murder of Halil Falyalı

Halil Falyalı, casino owner and illegal betting kingpin was murdered on February 8 in the Republic of Northern Cyprus. Falyalı was one of the centerpieces in Sedat Pekers revelations. Falyalı was gunned down in his armored car by gunmen wielding Kalashnikov type rifles. The suspects were later apprehended by the police.

Falyalı had been under investigation by the U.S authorities for money laundering and drug trafficking charges since 2016. Besides owning hotels and casinos, Falyalı was rumored to be in charge of an illegal betting scheme worth 40 million £. 

What brought Falyalı to infamy in Turkey was his alleged ties with Ekram Yıldırım, son of former prime minister Binali Yıldırım and former minister of interior, Mehmet Ağar. The allegations were brought forward by Sedat Peker via Youtube. According to Peker, Falyalı played the role of bookkeeper for the drug operations run by Ekram Yıldırım and Mehmet Ağar.

• The Arrest of Söylemez Brothers

Among the 8 who were arrested for Falyalı’s murder were Söylemez Brothers. The Söylemez Brothers had been on the map since the ‘’Susurluk Scandal’’; a scandal that revealed the ties between the deep state and mafia in the 90’s during the height of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict.

A research committee established by the parliament following the Susurluk Scandal referred to the infamous brothers as ‘’ The Söylemez Brothers Gang’’. 

• The Arrest of Erol Evcil

Another mobster apprehended this year was Erol Evcil. Evcil was arrested on July 4, in the operation ‘’Iron Fist’’. Evcil allegedly used fake invoices to amass a wealth of 24 billion Liras. 

Evcil is no stranger to life behind bars. He was arrested in 95 for instigating the murder of then famous textile moghul Nesim Malki.

In 2012 Evcil was charged with laundering 740 million Liras, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Evcil’s assets were frozen and he was fined an additional 1,3 million Liras. Evcil was released from prison in 2020.

• The Saral Gang Operation

Shortly after the arrest of Evcil, police ran a sting operation towards the Saral gang. From the initial 144 who were taken into custody, 46 were arrested on July 8. Among the arrested were 2 members of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Trabzon Platform Chairman Ahmet Köksal Öztürk and businessman Erdal Acar.

• The ‘’catch and release’’ of Nejat Daş

Another major operation towards organized crime came in September. ‘’Operation Swamp’’ led to the arrests of 67 including Nejat Daş. Daş was later released from prison and is still on trial.

Daş is one of those shadowy figures from the 90’s organized crime scene. In 1992 a ship destined to Turkey from Pakistan called ‘’ Kısmetim 1’’ carrying a cargo of 3 tons of base morphine, was intercepted by U.S and Turkish agents. However Kısmetim 1 was scuttled off the coast of Southern Cyprus by her own crew.

• The murder of Nadir Salifov

Another name made famous by Sedat Peker’s allegations was the mafia leader Nadir Salifov, nicknamed ‘’ Lotu Quli’’ According to minister of interior Süleyman Soylu, Salifov was ‘’among the top 12 organized crime leaders in the world’’.

Salifov was murdered on August 19, 2020 in Antalya by his own henchman Khayn Zeyralov.

According to Peker, Salifov was brought to Turkey by Mehmet Ağar to assassinate the owner of Yalıkavak Marina, Mazlum Mansimov, in order to take the marina over.

On Aug 3, 2022 Ukrainian Security Forces announced that Khayn Zeyralov was arrested in Odessa.

• The extradition of Sezgin Baran Korkmaz to the United States

Sezgin Baran Korkmaz is accused of laundering 133 million dollars for his former business associates; Kingston brothers and Lev Derman who stole the funds from the U.S Treasury. Following their arrest in 2018, Kingston brothers confessed to their crimes and claimed that 133 million dollars of the money they stole was laundered by Sezgin Baran Korkmaz in Turkey.

Korkmaz was arrested in Austria on July 15 and was extradited to the U.S.A.

• The Extradition of Emre Olur

Emre Olur, who acted as Sedat Peker’s press agent, was deported by the UAE on September 12. Olur then applied for asylum to Albania, was arrested by the Albanian police  and extradited to Turkey. Speaking to Medyascope, Olur’s attorney in Albania, Arben Llangozi, said that his client applied for asylum in Albania, but was deported without a response from the Albanian authorities.

• The SPK Allegations

Sedat Pekers most controversial and consequential accusation came at the end of August. Peker accused AKP MP Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu and her brother and Capital Markets Board of Turkey (SPK) Chairman Ali Fuat Taşkesenlioğlu of soliciting bribes from Marka Holding owner Mine Tozlu Sineren.

According to Peker, Serkan Taranoğlu, an advisor to President Erdoğan, met with Mine Tozlu Sineren and her husband in Sheraton Hotel Ankara and demanded 200 thousand Liras to “solve her problems”. Peker based these allegations on messaging app screenshots he acquired. In the screenshots Serkan Taranoğlu was seen telling Sineren not to do business with another advisor of President Erdoğan, Korkmaz Karaca. Taranoğlu even told Sineren that Karaca would demand more money.

Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu’s husband, Ünsal Ban was arrested following the accusations. Korkmaz Karaca quit his positions in AKP and Serkan Taranoğlu was forced out by President Erdoğan.

• Leader of Skaljari killed in Istanbul

Leader of the Skaljari gang, Jovico Vukotic was murdered in Istanbul on September 9. He was gunned down while driving with his girlfriend and children present in the car. Vukotic was known to have close ties with Luka Bojovic, alleged assailant of former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Cincic.

Last year, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu said in a TV interview:

‘’We were told that the biggest mobster in the Balkans was in Turkey. Skaljari is the biggest crime organization in the Balkans. Even states are afraid of them. We caught their leader in Antalya, bagged and shipped him.’’

• Another Serbian gang leader arrested in Istanbul

Serbian gang leader Zeljko Bojanic was arrested on November 6, in a villa in Sarıyer, İstanbul. Bojanic was wanted by the interpol and had been living in Istanbul since 2014.

• The Arrest and Extradition of Levent Göktaş

Retired Colonel Levent Göktaş, suspected of the murder of historian Necip Hablemitoğlu, was extradited by Bulgaria to Turkey on December,14. Hablemitoğlu was a strong critic of the Gülenist movement; a religious order allied with AKP in the early days of the government but later attempted overthrowing the government in 2016 and branded a terrorist organization known as FETO. According to Sedat Peker, Göktaş was tipped off by the police that he was going to be arrested and was given a head-start to flee.