One
The investigation conducted by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Prosecutor’s Terrorist and Organized Crimes Investigation Department against 28 suspects, including Dilan and Engin Polat, has been completed.
The 75-page indictment states that the defendant, Engin Porat, formed companies with close relatives and held partnership and management roles in those companies along with his wife, Dylan Porat, and that the companies were formed to conduct business primarily in the domestic beauty, cosmetics and medical sectors.
2
The indictment states that the financial advisor to the majority of the companies was the highly suspect Ahmet Gün. The indictment states that most of the purchases of goods for Polatla’s companies, which were thought to be run by a single source, were made from companies in which Engin Polat’s family members were partners or owners, as well as from suppliers that were somehow connected to the targets.
3
These suppliers are companies that have never actually purchased goods, never filed tax returns, have no employees, no banking relationships, and have a history of issuing false documents, and the suspected counterfeit goods run into millions of lira, with initial findings putting the total at 250 million lira.
Four
It is stated that Engin Porat purchased many luxury cars and real estate through the Mirda Geylimenkul automobile company, and that amounts accumulated through cash deposits in Porat’s and this company’s accounts were used to purchase the real estate and cars.
Five
They wanted to make it harder to trace the money trail through fake invoices.
The indictment states that the funds obtained through illegal means were channeled through many companies that were established. It states that invoices issued for unrealistic sales made it difficult to trace the money obtained through transactions that violated tax laws. The indictment states that the funds accumulated in the companies were withdrawn and collected, and that Milda Geylimekul Otomotiv Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., owned by Engin Polat, was kept clean. It was explained that the flow of funds was laundered by depositing them in cash in the companies in this way.
6
The indictment also states that the group attempted to launder funds obtained through illegal means by transferring them through cold wallets without putting them into the system. It also states that during the activities in question, the group engaged in real commercial activities due to the fame and notoriety it had gained in a short period of time, thus making it difficult to monitor and control. A clear aspect of the money laundering crime.
7
They created dozens of companies to keep the system secret.
The indictment states that dozens of companies were set up to hide the large-scale gambling ring, and that these companies were under the control of or affiliated with other suspects under investigation. It states that one of the suspects, Ahmet Gün, ran the ring and concealed financial problems in almost all of the Engin Polat crime group’s companies under the guise of a financial accountant.
8
The indictment emphasized that all the suspects in the organization were united in thought and action in committing the crime of “violating the Law on the Regulation of Gambling and Betting on Football and Other Sports Competitions.” With regard to the fraudulent acts, the indictment stated that Enjin Porat contacted some people in the organization he established to enable him to place illegal bets, in which he created another source of income by receiving advance payments based on guarantees, and that he tried to persuade third parties to withdraw money coming from overseas, thus making promises to people.
9
The value of the fake invoices was 489,309,000 lira
The indictment states that Engin Porat had the intent to make profits from both gambling and the use of accounts, to use the accounts of others to maintain a flow of foreign currency from overseas, and that the foreign currency generated from illegal gambling games was intended to be introduced into the country’s financial system and incorporated into the laundering process.
Ten
The report prepared by the Tax Inspection Committee’s Istanbul Third Division Audit Department stated that the companies’ false invoices amounted to 489,309,777 liras, of which 86,988,913 liras corresponded to the amount of Value Added Tax (VAT). The two companies also issued false invoices to each other, amounting to 117,443,863 liras, with a VAT equivalent of 21,280,562 liras.
11th
It was stated that the total amount reached 214,786,650 liras because the companies did not keep the books that they were required to keep by law, but kept other books in a way that reduced their tax base. It was also stated that in order to obtain false documents, these companies were observed to have paid 46,103,895 liras to companies that were established outside the investigations organized by Ahmet Gün with the sole purpose of issuing false invoices.
12
They tried to paint a good image by opening beauty and cosmetic centers.
The indictment explained that the suspects’ intentions went beyond the motive to commit tax crimes, that real transactions were also conducted to hide the wealth generated by funds obtained from illegal gambling, and that beauty centers and cosmetics were also traded. Industries that cater to the masses and society were favored, and the fame achieved was used as a device in this context. They collected illegal profits by entrusting money without paying the taxes that should have been paid, and that the amount illegally entrusted should be treated as dark funds separate from tax crimes.
13
The organization was controlled by the Porat family.
The indictment described the structure of the criminal organisation and said its leader was Engin Polat, and its managers were Dilan Polat, Alper Khurshat Polat, Sezgin Polat, Ahmet Gün, Mustafa Özalp and Sinem Sira Du.
14
The Polat couple face up to 40 years in prison
The prepared indictment calls for Dylan and Engin Porat to be sentenced to a combined 20 to 40 years in prison for “establishing and running an organization with the intent to commit a crime” and “laundering the value of property resulting from a crime” for “violating the Law on betting and gambling organizations on football and other sporting events.”
15
The other 26 suspects were charged with various crimes and faced various prison terms. The indictment was sent to the Istanbul Anatolian Criminal Court of First Instance No. 2. It was learned that the court has accepted the charges, and the Polats are expected to appear before a judge in the coming days.
16
The day of their judgement is already known
The memorandum of action was prepared following the decision of the Anatolian Criminal Court of First Instance to accept the 75-page indictment against 28 defendants prepared by the Anatolian Chief Prosecutor’s Terrorist and Organized Crimes Investigation Department.
The court has decided to hold the first hearing in the case on September 4. The hearing will continue on September 5 and 6.
