Ağırel arrested on charges of aiding organization he was not a member of

Murat Ağırel, a Cumhuriyet newspaper columnist held under house arrest due to reports on the fund investigation, was detained on October 16 following an operation at his home; he was referred to Çağlayan Courthouse along with 17 others.

In proceedings conducted as part of the Sarıgül investigation being pursued by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on allegations of "laundering assets derived from crime," Ağırel was questioned at the police stage on charges of "money laundering." Following his statement to the prosecutor, the accusation was changed to "aiding an organization he was not a member of" and Ağırel was referred to the judge with a detention request.

The judge ordered the detention of 15 people including Ağırel, Ömer Sarıgül, and Aylin Kotil; and released Cemil Vasken Barın and Uğur Kurtulan under judicial control.

In his statement, Ağırel denied the allegations, arguing that he did not publish unverified information. Ağırel said, "At most, I could be a witness in this file, not a suspect," and emphasized that no concrete criminal act had been attributed to him. Responding to the allegations against him, Ağırel stated: "I do not understand how I can be accused of forming a criminal organization or being a member of this organization with people I have never even stood next to in my life."