Cihan Tunç, arrested in Sarıgül investigation: They smuggled gold and diamonds by jet

Cihan Tunç, arrested as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office into allegations of money laundering and sexual assault against the Sarıgül family, gave a supplementary statement on October 28, 2024. In the four-page statement obtained by Hurriyet, Tunç indicated that he had known Emir Sarıgül for 25 years.

Tunç recounted that Mustafa Sarıgül, during his tenure as mayor, allocated a special office to Emir Sarıgül on the 6th floor of the municipal building, where meetings with construction owners were held. Tunç said he heard from inside the municipality that Information Technology Director Davut Kaymak deleted certain tax records, and he believed these changes could be linked to zoning matters.

Regarding allegations of money transfers to Switzerland, Tunç explained that Mustafa and Emir Sarıgül signed fictitious promissory notes with Swiss citizen İlhami Kaymak to send money abroad, reaching this conclusion from telephone conversations. He also stated that Fatoş Altınbaş transported gold and diamonds purchased from the Grand Bazaar to abroad via a private jet belonging to Burak Kaya, and that an official named Erol at Atatürk Airport assisted in the process. He indicated that these events began around 2014-2015, as far as he remembered.

Tunç also mentioned in his statement that a mansion on the Bosphorus was transferred to Emir Sarıgül in 2020-2021, that Emir Sarıgül demanded 30 million dollars for the mansion, and that this property was subsequently partially transferred to Serkan Korkutata. He said he learned that after Mustafa Sarıgül's compromising images emerged, an apartment in Çekmeköy was given to Beşir Ömer Demir for his silence.

As part of the investigation, 22 suspects had previously been arrested. From the 8 people taken into custody in the latest operation, Zülfü Sümer and Abdulkadir Sezgin were arrested while 6 were released under judicial control; the number of arrested suspects rose to 24.