Turkish lawmaker Mustafa Sarıgül and family entangled in multi-billion euro money-laundering probe

Turkish prosecutors are investigating former Şişli mayor and New Party lawmaker Mustafa Sarıgül for allegedly extracting billions of dollars from zoning bonuses during his tenure and laundering the proceeds through Altınbaş Holding’s luxury hotel in Antalya’s Belek, shopping centres and foreign assets. The case originated after two German businessmen accused Sarıgül of fraud in a joint investment deal, prompting a secret witness, identified as “A3M2LK48”, to detail a network that used a 2008 marriage between Sarıgül’s son Emir and an Altınbaş heiress to move €600 million back to the family during a 2019 divorce.

So far, Sarıgül’s sons, ex-wife, bodyguard Ömer Demir and several Altınbaş executives, including Sofu Altınbaş and Titanic Hotels deputy chair Temel Aygün, have been detained or placed under house arrest, while Sarıgül enjoys parliamentary immunity. Additional arrests involve former Şişli municipal officials and businessmen tied to a suspected $200,000 bribe for a manipulation report. The total number of suspects held rose to 19, underscoring a broad corruption scandal linking political authority with large-scale money-laundering.